Kanye West concert in Italy cancelled over ‘public order and safety issues’

A Kanye West concert in Italy has been cancelled over “public order and safety issues”.The 48-year-old rapper, who changed his name to Ye in 2021, was due to perform at the Pulse of Gaia festival at the RCF Arena in Reggio Emilia on 18 July, but the city’s prefect, Salvatore Angieri, stopped the gigs after “concerns” from the local Jewish community over previous antisemitic remarks by West.A concert on 17 July by West’s fellow US rapper Travis Scott at Hellwatt festival has also been cancelled due to the two festivals being scheduled on consecutive days.Scott faced criticism after 10 people aged between nine and 27 died at his Astroworld festival in Houston, Texas, in 2021 after fans surged towards the stage.A translation of a statement issued by the government of Reggio Emilia after a meeting over the concert’s future read: “The meeting was dedicated to examining the public order and safety issues associated with the American artist’s (West) concert and the Travis Scott event, also scheduled at the RCF Arena.“Based on the assessments made during the committee meeting and further investigations into safety and security aspects, the prefect … (ordered) the prohibition of both concerts.“The decision concerns two events scheduled for consecutive dates at the RCF Arena, a venue with a capacity of approximately 103,000 spectators, and was made to ensure public order and safety … given the close temporal connection between the events and the large crowds expected within 24 hours.“The overall assessment also took into account the cancellation of previous concerts by the American rapper in other countries and the real risk of counter-demonstrations.”In April, West’s show in Marseille, France, was postponed after he had been denied a UK visa earlier that month. That led to the cancellation of his headline appearances at London’s Wireless festival, following backlash due to antisemitic remarks.West released a song called Heil Hitler in 2025, and previously advertised a swastika T-shirt for sale on his website. He has also been criticised for posting tweets of an antisemitic nature and describing slavery as “a choice”.In January, West took out a full-page advert in the Wall Street Journal to apologise, titled: “To Those I’ve Hurt.”He wrote: “I am not a Nazi or an antisemite. I love Jewish people.”He added that his bipolar disorder led him to fall into “a four-month-long, manic episode of psychotic, paranoid and impulsive behaviour that destroyed my life”.After the cancellation of his Wireless performances West offered to meet the Jewish community in London “to listen”.West has had three number one singles and three number one albums in the UK and is best known for songs including Black Skinhead, Gold Digger and Stronger, while Scott has had five UK top 10 singles and one number one album with Utopia.West will perform at Istanbul’s Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Turkey on Saturday and is still due to perform at the GelreDome football stadium in Arnhem, the Netherlands, on 6 and 8 June.Scott and West have been contacted for comment.