The Wireless music festival has been cancelled after the artist formerly known as Kanye West was banned from entering the UK, amid a fierce political debate over his previous anti-Semitic statements.
The rapper, who is legally known as Ye, had applied on Monday to travel to Britain through an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA), but his application was blocked by British authorities.
A festival spokesperson confirmed that the event will no longer take place in July and that tickets will be refunded to all purchasers.
"The Home Office has withdrawn Ye's ETA, denying him entry to the UK. As a result, the Wireless festival is cancelled and all ticket holders will receive a refund," the official statement said.
Organizers stressed that several interested parties had been consulted prior to booking the artist and no concerns had been raised at that time.
British authorities decided to withdraw the travel authorization after a review of the case, arguing that his presence in the country would not be in the interest of the public good.
The rapper has repeatedly been criticized for anti-Semitic statements, including expressing admiration for Adolf Hitler. Last year, he released a song titled "Heil Hitler," just months after promoting a swastika T-shirt on his website.
In January, Ye took out a full-page ad in the Wall Street Journal apologizing for his anti-Semitic behavior and linking it to bipolar disorder. In a statement on Tuesday, he offered to “meet and listen” to representatives of the Jewish community in the United Kingdom.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer had also criticized his booking at the festival, saying it was "deeply disturbing" that Ye had been invited to perform despite his previous anti-Semitic statements and glorification of Nazism.
The decision to ban Ye put the festival in a difficult situation, as organizers had to find replacement artists for three consecutive nights just three months before the event.
Ye joins a long list of American cultural figures who have been banned from entering the UK at various times. In 2007, rapper Snoop Dogg was denied entry after an incident at Heathrow Airport, while TV personality Martha Stewart was banned due to a criminal conviction in the US.
In 2015, rapper Tyler, the Creator was also banned from entering the UK for four years by then-Home Secretary Theresa May, due to lyrics in his songs that were deemed to incite violence and intolerance. His ban was lifted in 2019.
