ARNHEM, Netherlands (AFP) — Tens of thousands of fans flocked to see US rapper Kanye West perform in the Netherlands on Saturday, despite controversy over his antisemitic tirades that have prompted the cancellation of several European concerts.
West sparked widespread outrage with comments glorifying Nazi leader Adolf Hitler, a song titled “Heil Hitler” and the sale of T-shirts bearing a swastika on his website.
Outside the Gelredome stadium in the eastern city of Arnhem, where 40,000 attended the concert, fans told AFP they wanted to separate the music from the controversial reputation of the 48-year-old artist, known as Ye.
“I’m not supporting all of those things he said, like it’s really controversial,” said Loes Snyers, a 20-year-old Belgian student.
“But for me, I really don’t care about the backlash of all the bad stuff artists do, I really focus on the music.”
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The rapper has denied being antisemitic and distanced himself from his remarks on social media, attributing them to his bipolar disorder.
A woman checks her mobile phone as she stands outside of a venue where Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, will perform, June 6, 2026. (Mouneb Taim/AP)
Near the concert venue, the Jewish organization CIDI held a small protest against the artist, displaying antisemitic quotations from the rapper on placards.
“I know that his fans are probably coming for the music, but we cannot look away (from) the Jew-hatred that he has spread widely in the past,” said the CIDI’s director, Naomi Mestrum.
The organization sought to have the concert cancelled, but an Amsterdam court ruled the shows did not pose a threat to public order.
Protestors walk through a protest installation past a sign which reads “Antisemitism is a poison that we must continue to fight,” outside of a venue where Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, will perform, June 6, 2026. (Mouneb Taim/AP)
Ye’s concerts have been scrapped in the United Kingdom, France, Poland, and Italy.
“We are not happy with the fact that he gets such a huge stage here in the Netherlands, where other countries around us have drawn a moral line and rejected him,” said Mestrum.
“If you really want to make amends, you have to (make) more than just an apology on Twitter.”
Ye is due to perform in the Albanian capital Tirana on July 11 and in Prague on July 25.
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