The controversy surrounding Kanye West is seemingly still going strong. The musician (legally called Ye) has been making headline after headline of late, and now he’s facing more backlash over a concert in Italy.
The rapper’s shows have been cancelled in a number of other countries
To recap, Kanye was recently announced as the headliner of Wireless Festival in the UK. This prompted widespread backlash, and his entry to the country was later denied. This resulted in the festival being cancelled altogether. Since then, the rapper’s gigs in France, Switzerland, and Poland have also been called off.
However, Kanye is still scheduled to headline the Hellwat Festival in July. It takes place at the RCF Arena in the Northern Italian city of Reggio Emilia.
Hellwat Festival has been billed as one of the rapper’s biggest arena appearances ever, with the venue having a capacity of 103,000. But organizers are facing scrutiny due to Kanye’s recent antisemitic remarks and behavior. He has previously voiced admiration for Adolf Hitler, and also advertised a swastika T-shirt for sale on his website.
This has drawn the attention of Pina Picierno, the VP of the European Parliament and a senior member of Italy’s Democratic Party. She has urged the Italian government to intervene and take a stance similar to other countries.
Noting how other governments prevented Kanye from performing, she told Gazzetta di Reggio that Italy is “just staying idle.”
The mayor of Reggio Emilia, meanwhile, is taking a more neutral position. Per Variety, Marco Massari said he was “distancing himself from Kanye West’s behavior and remarks.” However, the mayor added that the decision to permit Kanye’s entry to the country lies with Italy’s Ministry of the Interior.
TELL US – DO YOU THINK KANYE’S CONCERT IN ITALY SHOULD BE CANCELED? AND, IS THERE ANYTHING HE CAN DO TO SAVE HIS REPUTATION?
