Wireless Festival has been canceled after its headliner, Kanye West, was denied entry into the UK.
The London-based rap and R&B festival announced in a statement on Tuesday (April 7): “As a result of the Home Office banning YE from entering the United Kingdom, Wireless Festival has been forced to cancel. All ticket holders will recieve an automatic full refund.”
The shock move follows mounting pressure from major sponsors, campaign groups and even UK leaders over the festival’s decision to book the controversial rapper as its sole headliner, despite his antisemitic and pro-Nazi comments in recent years.
Pepsi, Paypal and Diageo, among other brands, all pulled out of sponsoring the festival in recent days in protest of Ye’s booking, while Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer called it “deeply concerning.”
According to the BBC, Kanye made an application to travel to the UK on Monday (April 6) via an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA). The Home Office rejected his application on the grounds that his presence in the country would not be conducive to the public good.
Earlier on Tuesday, Kanye issued a statement addressing the backlash to his planned Wireless Festival performances, promising that his “only goal is to present a show of change” and “bring unity, peace and love through my music.”
He also offered to meet with “members of the Jewish community in the UK in person, to listen.”
The Board of Deputies of British Jews responded to Ye’s statement by saying: “We are willing to meet Kanye West as part of his journey of healing, but only after he agrees not to play the Wireless Festival this year.”
In a surprise turn of events, Kanye had been defended by the managing director of Festival Republic, the company behind Wireless Festival, prior to his UK ban and the festival’s cancelation.
“What Ye has said in the past about Jews and Hitler is as abhorrent to me,” said Melvin Benn in a statement. “Ye’s music is played on commercial radio stations in this country. It is available via live streams and downloads in this country without comment or vitriol from anyone and he has a legal right to come into the country and to perform in this country.
“We are not giving him a platform to extol opinion of whatever nature, only to perform the songs that are currently played on the radio stations in our country and the streaming platforms in our country and listened to and enjoyed by millions.”
Benn added: “Forgiveness and giving people a second chance are becoming a lost virtue in this ever-increasing divisive world and I would ask people to reflect on their instant comments of disgust at the likelihood of him performing (as was mine) and offer some forgiveness and hope to him as I have decided to do.”
Kanye West was scheduled to healine all three nights of Wireless Festival on July 10, 11 and 12.
The Chicago native has not faced similar backlash on home soil having recently performed two sold-out shows at Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium in support of his new album Bully.
Ye was joined by a number of special guests over the two concerts including Lauryn Hill, Travis Scott and Don Toliver.
There are consequences in life. You can’t just go around saying toxic things and not expect ramifications.my question is, what type of individual actually spends money to support this man and why?Jesus is king!
Peoples make $90+ per hour on the platform. Very! You choose when to work, how much to work, and which projects you’d like to work on. Work is available 24/7/365. If you qualify for our long-running projects and 1am demonstrate high-quality work, there will be virtually unlimited work
available to you… Teb My Name
Shut up zionist. Ignore his success and ignore all the other rich people with no punishment that did worse like Ezra Miller or Roman Polanski.
Gaslight much? He sold out Sofi and he spoke truth he spoke on Palestine before all the media joined in.
How much did Israel pay you? Consequences of free speech but starting wars and sacrificing people is ok destroying society and races is ok? Modern day slavery through 401ks and taxes is ok? You should apologize not Ye
And you took the time to click on an article about him to virtue signal? Why? With your fake superiority complex. You are beneath everyone not above and don’t claim Jesus you don’t believe in him. His enemy were the yiddish
Yet here you are giving him attention the person you deem so horrible. You just want to stroke your ego when you’re a loser and want to be on the plantation. Also he has the highest grossing hip hop concert, one of the best selling if not the best selling real independent albums, and still top 5 best selling streetwear brands. Lets not forget Adidas stole his designs to release for themselves too so how about you get a rope to dangle from
I would assume festival promoters were pushing for and cheering the denial of entry. After all the major sponsors jumped ship, the event would have been a fiscal disaster. Now their insurance company can cover lost income due to the canceled event.
Nope the sponsors had no issue with it the ok’d Ye. The promoter said Pepsi was ok with. This is zionism.
Zionism.
They arrested people for posting comments online that country is insane. The US should end all ties with them. I mean they lie about bombing Iran the Muslims there need to call it out.
Muslims need to rise against this
Muslims don’t give a shit about Kanye West 😂
so true, they do need to rise with a rope around their necks. just high enough that they beg to touch the ground, squirming like the dirty people they are.
UK is more concerned with this than having a functional government. Ye was right again!
He was right about Israel and those people.
Israeli Derangement Syndrome is a real thing and you are definitely infected with it
Ye’s new album is dumpster juice
They’re doing people a favor by canceling it
Apparently Pepsi ok’d Ye performing but then pulled out of sponsoring. Nick Fuentes is right.
Even though the songs don’t promote violence or antisemitism? This act however will cause more to think about a certain group in power.
No deluxe version happening. Also funny UK bans Ye over words, Mel Gibson was also cancelled by Ari Emmanuel but Hasan Piker is safe also repped by Ari at WME. Chappelle too aftet his statements on Israel.
Hasan’s mod killed 2 Israeli diplomats in DC. Funny how nothing is done there and it was covered up.
Release A Perfect World that album and HH again!
Disgusting zionists but they will fund war and controlled op in the media. WW2 was started over Germany holding banks accountable not anything else.
Semitic is a language not a people. Adolfo was right. Look up the bolsheviks that was worse.
They did the same to Michael Jackson. They Don’t Care About Us was about Israel but they made him cut that video. All the slander comes from them they run the banks, they run the companies, they run government, they run media, and they run all the agencies that control celebrities. Anyone not being cancelled is controlled by them. Bill Cosby innocent, Diddy only jailed for challenging them, RKelly he wanted to own his music, they even do it to others like Weinstein for not being high rank enough. Byron Allen they took his money away.
Hasan Piker not banned though. Once again we see zionists in charge anyone against them punished and anyone still allowed to be pushed but claims to be otherwise is controlled opposition.
Hasan is FARRRRRRRRRR from a zionist. Are you insane? That was one of the dumbest comments I’ve ever read.
But UK drill culture is fine. Indians and Africans breaking in the country. US needs to all ties with the UK. Trump actually do something useful!
The UK still does business with the CCP and companies backed by them same with Canada. Look up the Uyghurs.
Remember what Dave Chappelle said. ‘I stand with…’ is the code word for they got gat
Farrakhan told us everyone warned us. Wake up
Thr brainwashed suburb black people cheering. You call others slaves but you are the real slaves and enjoy it. These people will allow other things and can not run a country but go against them and they snap. They did it to Michael Jackson we all know.
OnThatNote and his people owe Ye an apology they only know victimhood.
Antisemitism is not real
We need Droam
They just expose themselves again. Roman Polanski never punished, Ezra Miller never punished, Woody Allen, Bryan Singer, and look up Leo Frank
Is that rat face fraud Louaista running this site? He spreads lies in all his videos and I know he works for one of these hip hop sites. Is he just using sock puppet accounts here to push his agenda? Is Andy his real name. I know he pays YouTube to be on algorithm with the others who do what he does.
YE28
The UK will not exist
US should bomb UK.
They and Canada are wastes.
Trump get to work!