UK festival cancelled after headliner Kanye West blocked from travelling to UK

Organisers of a popular London music festival say it has been cancelled after the headliner, Kanye West, was blocked from traveling to the United Kingdom.

The announcement that West, who is known as Ye, would headline the three-day Wireless Festival had sparked criticism from Jewish groups and politicians, who highlighted his repeated antisemitic remarks in recent years.

The backlash saw major sponsors Pepsi and Diageo withdraw from the event, which had been scheduled for 10-12 July. It also drew criticism from UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who had called the decision for West to headline “deeply concerning.”

Now, British officials have blocked West from entering the country, saying his presence in the UK would not be conducive to the public good.

On Tuesday (all times local), Starmer said that West “should never have been invited to headline Wireless.”

“This Government stands firmly with the Jewish community, and we will not stop in our fight to confront and defeat the poison of antisemitism,” the British leader said in a statement posted on X.

“We will always take the action necessary to protect the public and uphold our values.”

In the wake of the government’s decision, Festival Republic, the firm that organises Wireless Festival, said the event would be called off.

“Wireless Festival is cancelled and refunds will be issued to all ticket holders,” the company said in a statement Tuesday.

“Antisemitism in all its forms is abhorrent, and we recognise the real and personal impact these issues have had. As YE said today, he acknowledges that words alone are not enough, and in spite of this still hopes to be given the opportunity to begin a conversation with the Jewish community in the UK,” Festival Republic added.

The rapper had previously issued a statement saying he had been following the conversation surrounding his Wireless appearance and wanted “to address it directly.”

“My only goal is to come to London and present a show of change, bringing unity, peace, and love through my music,” read the statement in an update to his Wall Street Journal letter “To Those I’ve Hurt,” circulated by Festival Republic earlier on Tuesday.

“I would be grateful for the opportunity to meet with members of the Jewish community in the UK in person, to listen,” said West.

“I know words aren’t enough – I’ll have to show change through my actions,” he added. “If you’re open, I’m here.”

West – who previously said he had bipolar disorder before saying last year that he had been misdiagnosed and instead has autism – took out a full-page advert in the Wall Street Journal in January to apologise for his previous comments.

Reacting to the news that West had been blocked from entering the UK, the charity Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) said the government “has clearly made the right decision.”

“Someone who has boasted of making tens of millions of dollars from selling swastika t-shirts and who released a song called ‘Heil Hitler’ just months ago clearly would not be conducive to the public good in the UK,” said a CAA spokesperson in a statement Tuesday.

“Wireless Festival, in its desperate quest for profit, defended the invitation until the end. That is shameful, and its sponsors should continue to stay away,” they added.

Jewish community organisation the Board of Deputies of British Jews also said that it welcomed “the government listening to the concerns of Jews in the UK and preventing Kanye West from entering the country.”

“It is deeply regrettable that Wireless Festival invited him in the first place and then doubled down when the Jewish community and our allies objected,” said Phil Rosenberg, president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, in a statement Tuesday.

“We note that the Festival has now been cancelled but it should never have reached this point. The situation could and should have been resolved much earlier.”

Wireless is one of the UK’s biggest music festivals, attracting up to 150,000 attendees each year.

West has not performed in the UK since headlining Glastonbury in 2015.