Kanye West and Travis Scott’s upcoming concerts in Reggio Emilia, Italy, have been canceled, citing security concerns surrounding the events. Authorities viewed two massive shows taking place in less than 24 hours as an unacceptable compounding of risk. Moreover, West’s views, which many dub antisemitic, may play a part in the security concerns surrounding the concerts.
Kanye West and Travis Scott’s Italy concert canceled
Kanye West was scheduled to headline the Hellwat Festival on July 18 at the RCF Arena in Reggio Emilia. Travis Scott was slated to perform just a day before, on July 17, in the same venue. With the music venue’s capacity of 103,000 spectators, this would have been one of Ye’s biggest arena concerts.
However, now both concerts have been canceled, citing security concerns as the primary reason. Reggio Emilia prefect Salvatore Angieri announced the cancellation. This came after the city’s Jewish community, anti-fascist resistance groups, trade unions, and politicians protested against West’s concert.
Salvatore Angieri primarily cited the proximity of the two concerts and the “concrete risk” of protests over West as the reason for the double cancellation. The festival team has still said that they would try to bring West to Italy on July 18 in a location near Reggio Emilia, under a different jurisdiction.
West has previously said “I Love Nazis” on social media, sold T-shirts with a swastika on his website, and released a song called “Heil Hitler” in the past. He has faced bans and canceled shows in the U.K., France, Switzerland, and Poland. However, he recently published a full-page apology in the Wall Street Journal. The rapper cited manic episodes caused by bipolar disorder as the reason behind his previous behavior.
So far, the U.K. government has blocked Ye from entering the country, and several other European nations have followed. Meanwhile, Scott had also been involved in a controversy after the tragic incident at the 2021 Astroworld festival in Houston, which claimed several lives.
Originally reported by Sourav Chakraborty on Mandatory.
