Kanye West faces backlash as UK Prime Minister condemns London concert

As part of a European comeback tour, the disgraced 48-year-old hip-hop artist, now known as Ye, is scheduled to perform three nights at the Wireless festival in London in July. US rapper Kanye West, who has a history of antisemitic outbursts and has released a song titled “Heil Hitler,” is scheduled to perform in London, which British Prime Minister Keir Starmer expressed concern about. Starmer told The Sun newspaper on Saturday it was “deeply concerning Kanye West has been booked to perform at Wireless despite his previous antisemitic remarks and celebration of Nazism”.

He added that “antisemitism in any form is abhorrent and must be confronted firmly”. Event sponsor Pepsi told The Independent news website on Sunday that it had withdrawn its sponsorship. Parent company PepsiCo did not immediately respond to an AFP request for comment.

And West’s European tour has already proved controversial, with the mayor of Marseille in France saying he was “not welcome” for a concert there in June. West has expressed regret over his antisemitic rants, which he blamed on his bipolar disorder. In May 2025 he released a song called “Heil Hitler” to mark the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.