Washington (United States) (AFP) – US rapper Kanye West postponed late Tuesday his concert in the French city of Marseille, following reports that the country’s interior minister was seeking to block the performance.
“After much thought and consideration, it is my sole decision to postpone my show in Marseille, France until further notice,” the rapper wrote on X. France’s interior minister Laurent Nunez was seeking to block West from performing in the southern city in a concert scheduled for June 11 due to his antisemitic remarks, AFP reported earlier on Tuesday.
West, 48, has been heavily criticized for making antisemitic remarks and voicing admiration for Adolf Hitler. Britain has blocked the US rapper, also known as Ye, from entering the country due to his outbursts, prompting organizers of a festival he was to headline to cancel the July event. Prime Minister Keir Starmer had called booking West “deeply concerning.”
But Dutch Asylum and Migration Minister Bart van den Brink said last week there were no plans as yet to bar the rapper from the Netherlands. West wrote in another X post on Tuesday that “I know it takes time to understand the sincerity of my commitment to make amends.”
“I take full responsibility for what’s mine but I don’t want to put my fans in the middle of it,” he added. In May 2025, the rapper released a song called “Heil Hitler,” months after advertising a swastika t-shirt for sale on his website. The song was banned by major streaming platforms. West subsequently expressed regret for his conduct, blaming it on his bipolar disorder.
© 2024 AFP
