Sadiq Khan and Jewish Leadership Council condemn Wireless festival for Kanye West headline booking

The Jewish Leadership Council has condemned Wireless festival for booking Kanye West, also known as Ye, to headline all three nights of the forthcoming north London event in the wake of heightened attacks on the UK Jewish community, calling the organisers “deeply irresponsible”.

In a press statement on Wednesday 1 April, a spokesperson for London mayor Sadiq Khan said: “We are clear that the past comments and actions of this artist are offensive and wrong, and are simply not reflective of London’s values. This was a decision taken by the festival organizers and not one that City Hall is involved in.”

The rapper has a history of antisemitic behaviour, including releasing a song called Heil Hitler, calling himself a Nazi, associating with the white supremacist commentator Nick Fuentes (including at a 2022 dinner with Donald Trump), making numerous other anti-Jewish racist statements and selling T-shirts bearing swastikas.

In January, West took out a full-page ad in the Wall Street Journal apologising for his actions. The rapper, 48, attributed his behaviour to his bipolar-1 disorder. It followed a similar apology in 2023.

On Monday, Wireless, a festival run by Festival Republic, part of Live Nation, announced that West would top the bill each night of the Finsbury Park event – as Drake did in 2025 – taking what it called “a three-night journey through his most iconic records”. The performances are to be West’s first in the UK in 11 years and follow the release of his 12th album, Bully, last week.

A spokesperson for the Jewish Leadership Council told the Guardian: “It is deeply irresponsible for Wireless festival to be headlining Kanye West. The UK Jewish community is facing record levels of antisemitism, including a terrorist attack in Manchester, the attack on ambulances in Golders Green and foiled plots which would have killed many more.

“West has repeatedly used his platform to spread antisemitism and pro-Nazi messaging. His most recent apology must be considered in the context that he went on to sell swastika T-shirts and release a song called Heil Hitler after apologising previously. Any venue or festival should reconsider before providing their platform to Kanye West to spread his antisemitism.”

The organisers of Wireless festival offered no comment when contacted by the Guardian.

In 2022, Adidas ended its partnership with West over his antisemitic comments. In 2025, West was barred entry to Australia after the release of the song Heil Hitler. As to whether West would face a similar fate in the UK, a Home Office spokesperson told the Guardian: “We do not routinely comment on individual cases.”

In February, the British Jewish charity Community Security Trust reported that antisemitic attacks increased sharply in the UK after the deadly attack on a Manchester synagogue in October. In March, the Union of Jewish Students said that antisemitism had “become normalised” on UK campuses. Last week, two men were arrested and released on bail in connection with a suspected arson attack on four ambulances operated by a north London Jewish charity.

West’s apology, published on 26 January, was titled: To Those I’ve Hurt. He said his bipolar disorder meant he “lost touch with reality”, prompting him to gravitate towards “the most destructive symbol I could find, the swastika”.

West’s latest album, Bully, was released on Saturday, reportedly receiving 33m streams on Spotify in its first 24 hours.

In a press release, Wireless organisers said that West’s “UK comeback will be an extraordinary chapter in Wireless’s story”. He is the only act to have been announced for the festival so far. Wireless takes place from 10-12 July.