{"id":17487,"date":"2026-05-30T10:00:05","date_gmt":"2026-05-30T10:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/netherlands\/17487\/"},"modified":"2026-05-30T10:00:05","modified_gmt":"2026-05-30T10:00:05","slug":"dutch-authorities-clear-kanye-west-to-perform-in-the-netherlands-after-string-of-axed-gigs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/netherlands\/17487\/","title":{"rendered":"Dutch authorities clear Kanye West to perform in the Netherlands after string of axed gigs"},"content":{"rendered":"

Two Kanye West<\/a> shows in the Netherlands are set to go ahead next week, despite widespread cancellations of his shows across the rest of Europe.<\/p>\n

READ MORE:\u00a0Donda 2: Kanye West\u2019s ego is scuppering these half-baked, dashed-off sounding songs<\/a><\/p>\n

The rapper, who now goes by Ye, released his new album \u2018Bully<\/a>\u2019 in March and had been due to play a world tour in support of the new record, but his booking to headline all three nights of London\u2019s Wireless Festival sparked an enormous backlash<\/a> over his previous anti-Semitic comments.<\/p>\n

Prime Minister Keir Starmer was among those to criticise the booking<\/a>,\u00a0several sponsors cut their ties with the festival<\/a>, and the UK Home Office ultimately blocked Ye from being allowed into the country, while Wireless eventually announced that they had cancelled their entire 2026 event<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Since then, shows in\u00a0Switzerland<\/a>,\u00a0Poland<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0France<\/a> have also been cancelled, although a handful will go ahead, including one in Albania<\/a> and two recently confirmed gigs in the Netherlands.<\/p>\n

As reported by Reuters<\/a>, officials in the Netherlands concluded that no evidence had been found in their investigation of West that would constitute him being banned from entering the country.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udea8 KANYE WEST CLEARED TO PERFORM IN NETHERLANDS DESPITE EUROPEAN ENTRY PUSHBACK<\/p>\n

Dutch officials say there were no legal grounds to block the rapper\u2019s entry, clearing the way for concerts next month in Arnhem.<\/p>\n

Lawmakers had urged a ban over his past remarks, including\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/IOcSCTVqhS<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 NewsForce (@Newsforce) May 29, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cSolid grounds are needed to bar people \u2060from entering [the country]. We have not found those in the analyses that were conducted,\u201d Deputy Prime Minister Bart van den Brink said of the rapper.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis past statements are not, at this moment, a reason to deny him entry.\u201d<\/p>\n

He is currently scheduled to perform two concerts in Arnhem\u2019s GelreDome venue, with the first show taking place on June 6 and the second on June 8, the latter coinciding with West\u2019s 49th birthday.<\/p>\n

His trek to the Netherlands will kick off the much-discussed European tour, which has been marred by continued backlash in the wake of anti-Semitic comments made by Ye in recent years.<\/p>\n

The rapper shared a fresh apology for some of his previous remarks <\/a>shortly before Wireless was axed, and later addressed the criticism in an\u00a0update<\/a>\u00a0to\u00a0his\u00a0Wall Street Journal\u00a0\u201cto those I\u2019ve hurt\u201d letter<\/a>, which he originally shared in January.<\/p>\n

West\u2019s history of making antisemitic remarks\u00a0dates back to\u00a02022, when he made a series of offensive comments on social media. Those comments\u00a0saw his accounts on both Instagram and Twitter suspended,\u00a0<\/a>and the musician\u00a0was\u00a0dropped by his lawyer, talent agency\u00a0<\/a>and\u00a0record label,<\/a>\u00a0along with fashion brands such as\u00a0Balenciaga<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Adidas<\/a>.<\/p>\n

At first, West gave several interviews, refusing to apologise for making the comments\u00a0<\/a>while suggesting that\u00a0Jewish people should \u201cforgive Hitler\u201d.<\/a>\u00a0However, in 2023, West delivered\u00a0an apology to the Jewish community<\/a>, going on to\u00a0blame alcohol for his behaviour the following year.<\/a><\/p>\n

In the wake of that\u00a0initial\u00a0apology,\u00a0numerous\u00a0lawsuits were filed against the rapper with claims of extensive antisemitic\u00a0behaviour. One former employee\u00a0alleged that\u00a0the rapper said Jewish people were \u201cworking together to hold him back\u201d<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Another\u00a0former employee claimed he used antisemitic language in the workplace and praised Hitler<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 something for which he allegedly paid a settlement for. In 2024, a separate ex-employee\u00a0accused him of being openly antisemitic in front of his staff<\/a>.<\/p>\n

West also shared\u00a0a number of\u00a0highly controversial posts in early 2025<\/a>, when he\u00a0took back an apology he previously made to the Jewish community for antisemitic remarks<\/a>, and then declared himself \u201ca Nazi\u201d.\u00a0The rapper then claimed\u00a0on X\/Twitter that, \u201cafter further reflection\u201d, he\u2019d \u201ccome to the realisation that I\u2019m not a Nazi\u201d,<\/a>\u00a0followed\u00a0only a few days later by yet more swastika apparel appearing on his X page<\/a>.<\/p>\n