Wireless Festival has been canceled after its headliner, Kanye West, was denied entry into the UK.
The London-based rap and R&B festival announced in a statement on Tuesday (April 7): “As a result of the Home Office banning YE from entering the United Kingdom, Wireless Festival has been forced to cancel. All ticket holders will recieve an automatic full refund.”
The shock move follows mounting pressure from major sponsors, campaign groups and even UK leaders over the festival’s decision to book the controversial rapper as its sole headliner, despite his antisemitic and pro-Nazi comments in recent years.
Pepsi, Paypal and Diageo, among other brands, all pulled out of sponsoring the festival in recent days in protest of Ye’s booking, while Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer called it “deeply concerning.”
According to the BBC, Kanye made an application to travel to the UK on Monday (April 6) via an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA). The Home Office rejected his application on the grounds that his presence in the country would not be conducive to the public good.
Earlier on Tuesday, Kanye issued a statement addressing the backlash to his planned Wireless Festival performances, promising that his “only goal is to present a show of change” and “bring unity, peace and love through my music.”
He also offered to meet with “members of the Jewish community in the UK in person, to listen.”
The Board of Deputies of British Jews responded to Ye’s statement by saying: “We are willing to meet Kanye West as part of his journey of healing, but only after he agrees not to play the Wireless Festival this year.”
In a surprise turn of events, Kanye had been defended by the managing director of Festival Republic, the company behind Wireless Festival, prior to his UK ban and the festival’s cancelation.
“What Ye has said in the past about Jews and Hitler is as abhorrent to me,” said Melvin Benn in a statement. “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.
“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.”
Benn added: “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.”
Kanye West was scheduled to healine all three nights of Wireless Festival on July 10, 11 and 12.
The Chicago native has not faced similar backlash on home soil having recently performed two sold-out shows at Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium in support of his new album Bully.
Ye was joined by a number of special guests over the two concerts including Lauryn Hill, Travis Scott and Don Toliver.
