Kanye West, also banned in Italy. The authorities also canceled the concert of another famous American rapper

Italian authorities announced on Saturday that they had banned two concerts by American rappers Kanye West and Travis Scott, which were to take place in July in Reggio Emilia, in the north of the country, Reuters reported.

The local prefect, Salvatore Angieri, ordered the cancellation of the two events, citing security and public order concerns, including the possibility of protests.

Kanye West, also known by his stage name 'Ye', faced a wave of cancellations in Europe this summer following years of anti-Semitic and pro-Nazi statements, which he eventually backtracked on.

Conversely, Travis Scott has come under fire for safety at his concerts following the 2021 crash at the Astroworld festival in Houston, Texas that left 10 dead and hundreds injured.

Scott was scheduled to perform at the Pulse of Gaia Festival on July 17 at the 103,000-capacity RCF Arena. Ye's concert was scheduled for the next day.

The explanations provided by the Italian authorities

Angieri said the decision was made following appeals by CODACONS, an organization representing consumer interests, and the Jewish communities of Modena and Reggio Emilia, who expressed particular concerns about Ye.

Authorities cited the short period between the two concerts and the large influx of spectators expected to arrive at the arena within 24 hours for the two events as factors behind the ban. In addition, they mentioned that Ye's other European concerts have also been canceled and also cited the “real risk” of protests.

In April, British authorities banned Ye from entering the United Kingdom, where he was due to perform a concert in London in July. Also in April, the rapper postponed a concert in Marseille after it emerged that the French government was trying to prevent the event. His concerts in Poland and Switzerland were also cancelled.

Ye continued to perform in the countries that welcomed him, and on Saturday night he takes the stage in Istanbul. He has scheduled a concert in the Netherlands for next month, after the migration minister declared that there are no legal grounds to deny him entry into the country.