Wireless Festival chief defends Kanye West booking despite rapper's 'abhorrent' antisemitic comments

The rapper, who is also known as Ye, is set to top the bill for all three nights of the festival in London’s Finsbury Park in July, having last performed at the event in 2014.

Sir Keir Starmer has criticised the decision as "deeply concerning", while major sponsors have withdrawn their support for the festival over the booking.

Mr Benn, Managing Director at Festival Republic which promotes Wireless Festival, described himself as a "deeply committed anti-fascist" and "person of forgiveness".

In a statement, Mr Benn added: "What Ye has said in the past about Jews and Hitler is as abhorrent to me as it is to the Jewish community, the Prime Minister and others that have commented and, taking him at his word, to Ye now also.

"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.

"He is intended to come in and perform. 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.

"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."

Mr West, who has not performed in the UK since he headlined Glastonbury in 2015, has drawn widespread criticism in recent years after he began voicing admiration for Adolf Hitler, and has made a series of antisemitic remarks.

Last year, he released a song called "Heil Hitler", a few months after advertising a swastika T-shirt for sale on his website. The musician has been barred from X over antisemitism on multiple occasions.

GB News understands that the Mayor of London’s office refused permission for the London Stadium, in Stratford, to stage a Kanye West concert this summer, with sources citing community concerns and the reputational impact on the city.

The Sun reported that Tottenham Hotspur FC also refused to let West perform at their north London stadium.

In January, Mr West took out a full-page advert in the Wall Street Journal to apologise, titled: "To Those I’ve Hurt."

He said: "I am not a Nazi or an antisemite. I love Jewish people."

In his letter, the 48-year-old said his bipolar disorder led him to fall into "a four-month-long, manic episode of psychotic, paranoid and impulsive behaviour that destroyed my life".

However, Jewish community organisations have criticised the festival, with Phil Rosenberg, president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, calling it the "wrong decision" and urging the Government to consider barring him from entering the country.

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said Mr West was "guilty of appalling antisemitic and pro-Nazi comments" as he urged Shabana Mahmood to use her powers under the Immigration Act to refuse him a visa.

He said: "She says she wants to fight antisemitism. We will now find out how serious she really is."

However, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said this afternoon: "The comments that he has made in the past are completely unacceptable and absolutely disgusting.

"I don’t think he should be performing at the music festival, but I can’t comment on specific individual cases that will be considered in line with immigration rules. But there is no place for that kind of hatred, bigotry or antisemitism, from him or from anyone else."

Pepsi and Diageo withdrew their sponsorship of the festival after West was announced as the headline act and no brands appeared as visible sponsors on Wireless Festival’s official website on Monday evening.

GB News understands PayPal, which is a payment partner for the annual rap and hip-hop festival, will not appear in any of its future promotional materials.

Reacting to Mr Benn's statement, Phil Rosenberg, President of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, said: "After a week of Wireless Festival avoiding any media, this statement will not reassure many within the Jewish or other communities against whom Kanye West’s invective was directed over a much longer period than his more recent apology.

"The two key facts remain that Kanye West proclaimed himself a Nazi, and that Wireless stands to benefit financially from his performance. Indeed, we note that concern was Mr Benn’s initial reaction to the idea of inviting Kanye West. It remains ours.

"It is time for Wireless to do the decent thing and rescind an invitation they never should have offered. Kanye West may well be on the path to health and healing. We sincerely hope that he is. But the space to test this is not over three days on the Wireless main stage."