Amid growing controversy over Kanye West headlining London’s Wireless Festival, the rapper says he “would be grateful” to meet members of the Jewish community in the U.K. who have criticized West’s inclusion in one of the country’s biggest music events.
In a a statement to the BBC, the rapper said: “To Those I’ve Hurt: I’ve been following the conversation around Wireless and want 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.”
West, the BBC reported, offered to meet members of the community in person “to listen”, adding: “I know words aren’t enough – I’ll have to show change through my actions. If you’re open, I’m here. With Love, Ye, formerly known as Kanye West.”
West’s headline spot at Wireless has caused political upheaval in the U.K. with even British Prime Minister Keir Starmer weighing in. Speaking to The Sun newspaper, Starmer said, “It is deeply concerning Kanye West has been booked to perform at Wireless despite his previous antisemitic remarks and celebration of Nazism.
“Antisemitism in any form is abhorrent and must be confronted firmly wherever it appears. Everyone has a responsibility to ensure Britain is a place where Jewish people feel safe.”
Sponsors started pulling their sponsorships Sunday after Wireless promoter Festival Republic had announced West’s booking. Festival exectutive Melvin Benn issued an extensive statement Monday defending the decision to book West, stating fans should “offer some forgiveness and hope.”
Friends star David Schwimmer took to social media Monday to praise the companies that pulled their sponsorship at Wireless, stating that West still hasn’t properly atoned for his years of antisemitic comments and that his written apology “does not erase years of abuse.”
“Thanks Pepsi, PayPal & Diageo. It’s great to see companies with moral clarity,” the Friends star wrote on Instagram on Monday. “Unlike Wireless and Festival Republic, they decided not to platform an artist who became one of the most recognizable hate-mongering bigots in the world — while the other orgs seek only to profit from one.”
Schwimmer continued: “Remember: Ye’s apologized before, only to retract that apology and double down on his virulent hatred of Jewish people.”
The actor added, “Until Ye demonstrates a commitment to building back trust — not only with the Jewish community, but with ALL the fans he left heartbroken and disappointed by his hateful rhetoric the last several years — he should not be granted a platform to perform. To do so is to be tacitly complicit in what these companies know to be wrong, unethical and immoral.”
