Kanye West's concert in Poland is in doubt. The minister hits the rapper

Minister of Culture Marta Cienkowska wrote on the X website that the decision to organize rapper Kanye West's concert in Poland is unacceptable. “We are talking about an artist who publicly expressed anti-Semitic messages, relativized crimes and made money by selling T-shirts with swastikas. These are not 'controversies',” she pointed out.

According to the ministry, the rapper's behavior is “consciously crossing boundaries and normalizing hatred.” “In a country marked by the history of the Holocaust, we cannot pretend that it is just entertainment. Artistic freedom does not mean consent to everything. Culture cannot be a space for those who use it to spread contempt,” Cienkowska emphasized in Thursday's entry.

Kanye West is scheduled to perform on June 19 at the Silesian Stadium in Chorzów. The rapper is considered one of the most outstanding hip-hop artists. He is the creator of such musical hits as “Stronger”, “Heartless” and “Runaway”. He has been widely criticized for controversial statements for several years. West probably caused the greatest outrage with a series of anti-Semitic posts on social media platforms in which he glorified Nazi ideology. His offensive statements often shocked even his loyal fans.

The rapper outraged audiences in the fall of 2022 when he published a series of hateful entries online targeting the Jewish community. Since then, he has repeatedly exposed himself to public opinion – suffice it to mention expressing admiration for Adolf Hitler or selling T-shirts with swastikas. As a result, the administrators of popular social networking sites kept suspending his accounts, and the musician lost a number of lucrative contracts, including: with the Balenciaga and Adidas brands.

In a January statement, West asked for forgiveness from those he had previously offended. For this purpose, he used an advertisement he bought in The Wall Street Journal. The artist maintains that his media antics were the result of a deepening mental crisis. He confessed that he had a manic-psychotic episode.

West issued an apology to both the Jewish and African-American communities. “I am deeply ashamed of my actions and ready to take responsibility for them. However, this does not justify what I did. I am not a Nazi or an anti-Semite. I love Jews. To the black community that has supported me through all the ups and downs: you are the foundation of who I am. I am so sorry that I let you down. I love us. (…) My words as a leader of my community have a global reach and impact. When experiencing mania, I have completely lost sight of it. (…) I am not asking for sympathy or a concession, although I aspire to deserve your forgiveness. I am writing today to ask for your patience and understanding,” the rapper concluded.

Recently, West canceled his concert in Marseille, France indefinitely. Their opposition to it was expressed by, among others: local authorities. He was previously refused entry by the British authorities, where he was supposed to perform during one of the summer festivals in London.

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