Kanye West blocked from entering UK amid controversy over festival booking

The British government has blocked controversial American rapper Kanye West's permission to travel to the UK amid a row over his planned performance at a music festival, media reports said Tuesday.

The Home Office told the BBC that the rapper, also known as Ye, made an application to travel to the UK on Monday via an electronic travel authorization.

It said the decision was made on the grounds that his presence would not be conducive to the public good, citing how one of his songs includes samples from a speech by Adolf Hitler.

West in recent years has drawn criticism for numerous antisemitic remarks, including releasing a song last year called Heil Hitler, and other erratic and controversial behavior.

In January, West took out a full-page ad in The Wall Street Journal apologizing for his antisemitic behavior, saying, “I am not a Nazi or an antisemite.”

The decision to bar West from entering Britian came after Prime Minister Keir Starmer criticized London’s Wireless festival for booking him to headline all three nights of the July event.

On Tuesday, a festival spokesperson said it had been cancelled due to West being barred from entering the country and that all ticket holders would be refunded.

“Antisemitism in all its forms is abhorrent, and we recognise the real and personal impact these issues have had,” a festival statement added, also citing West’s offer to begin a “conversation” with the Jewish community in Britain.

Pepsi and Diageo also withdrew their festival sponsorship.