Tuesday, April 7, 2026 - Organizers of a popular London music festival say it has been canceled after the headliner, Kanye West, was blocked from traveling to the United Kingdom.
The announcement that West, who is known as Ye, would
headline the three-day Wireless Festival had sparked criticism from Jewish
groups and politicians, who highlighted his repeated antisemitic remarks in
recent years.
The backlash saw major sponsors Pepsi and Diageo withdraw
from the event, which had been scheduled for July 10-12. It also drew criticism
from UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who had called the decision for West to
headline “deeply concerning.”
Now, British officials have blocked West from entering the
country, saying his presence in the UK would not be conducive to the public
good.
On Tuesday, Starmer said that West “should never have been
invited to headline Wireless.”
“This Government stands firmly with the Jewish community,
and we will not stop in our fight to confront and defeat the poison of
antisemitism,” the British leader said in a statement posted on X.
“We will always take the action necessary to protect the
public and uphold our values.”
In the wake of the government’s decision, Festival Republic,
the firm that organizes Wireless Festival, said the event would be called off.
“Wireless Festival is cancelled and refunds will be issued
to all ticket holders,” the company said in a statement Tuesday.
“Antisemitism in all its forms is abhorrent, and we
recognise the real and personal impact these issues have had. As YE said today,
he acknowledges that words alone are not enough, and in spite of this still
hopes to be given the opportunity to begin a conversation with the Jewish
community in the UK,” Festival Republic added.
The rapper had previously issued a statement saying he had
been following the conversation surrounding his Wireless appearance and wanted
“to address it directly.”
“My only goal is to come to London and present a show of
change, bringing unity, peace, and love through my music,” read the statement
in an update to his Wall Street Journal letter “To Those I’ve Hurt,” circulated
by Festival Republic earlier on Tuesday.
“I would be grateful for the opportunity to meet with
members of the Jewish community in the UK in person, to listen,” said West.
“I know words aren’t enough – I’ll have to show change
through my actions,” he added. “If you’re open, I’m here.”
West – who previously said he had bipolar disorder before
saying last year that he had been misdiagnosed and instead has
autism – took out a full-page advert in the Wall Street Journal in January
to apologize for his previous comments.
Reacting to the news that West had been blocked from
entering the UK, the charity Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) said the
government “has clearly made the right decision.”
“Someone who has boasted of making tens of millions of
dollars from selling swastika t-shirts and who released a song called ‘Heil
Hitler’ just months ago clearly would not be conducive to the public good in
the UK,” said a CAA spokesperson in a statement Tuesday.
“Wireless Festival, in its desperate quest for profit,
defended the invitation until the end. That is shameful, and its sponsors
should continue to stay away,” they added.
Jewish community organization the Board of Deputies of
British Jews also said that it welcomed “the government listening to the
concerns of Jews in the UK and preventing Kanye West from entering the
country.”
“It is deeply regrettable that Wireless Festival invited him
in the first place and then doubled down when the Jewish community and our
allies objected,” said Phil Rosenberg, president of the Board of Deputies of
British Jews, in a statement Tuesday.
“We note that the Festival has now been cancelled but it
should never have reached this point. The situation could and should have been
resolved much earlier.”
Wireless is one of the UK’s biggest music festivals,
attracting up to 150,000 attendees each year.
West has not performed in the UK since headlining
Glastonbury in 2015.
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