Kanye West is coming under pressure to cancel his forthcoming headline slot at the Hellwat Festival following a backlash over his previous antisemitic comments.
West, who now goes by Ye, is scheduled to appear at the RCF Arena in Reggio Emilia on July 18 but the city’s Jewish community, anti-fascist resistance groups, trade unions and politicians are calling for it to be axed.
Pina Picierno, who is vice president of the European Parliament and a senior member of Italy’s Democratic Party, has urged the government to intervene following previous cancelled concerts in the UK and France.
“The United Kingdom denied the visa. France effectively prevented the Marseille concert,” he told local newspaper La Gazzetta di Reggio. “Italy, meanwhile, is just staying idle with 68,000 tickets sold, as if nothing had happened.”
Rosamaria Papaleo, a representative of the Italian Confederation of Workers’ Unions in Emilia-Romagna, was also angry about the concert.
“It seems quite contradictory that an artist known for his antisemitic remarks can be hosted by our city, which has always strongly advocated anti-fascist values. Anti-fascism for us is not a whim, but a value rooted in our history,” Papaleo told CBS News.
The union has asked Reggio Emilia’s mayor, Marco Massari, to get West to meet with members of the area’s Jewish population over his past comments.
Massari has since said he was “distancing himself from Kanye West’s behaviour and remarks,” but added that any decision regarding West’s entry into the country and his performance lies with Italy’s Ministry of the Interior, which so far has not commented.
But Hellwatt Festival artistic director Victor Yari Milani defended booking West calling the festival “a space for free artistic expression.”
He added: “The artist’s past comments have certainly provoked a legitimate reaction, but we also want to remember that Ye formally apologised through the Wall Street Journal in January, stating that he is not a Nazi or antisemite but suffers from bipolar disorder.”
“I would add that we have asked him to apologise in Italy as well,” he continued.
West is yet to comment publicly on his forthcoming headline appearance at the festival.
Decyzja o organizacji koncertu Kanye Westa w Polsce jest nie do przyjęcia.
Mówimy o artyście, który publicznie wygłaszał antysemickie treści, relatywizował zbrodnie i zarabiał na sprzedaży koszulek ze swastyką. To nie są „kontrowersje”. To świadome przekraczanie granic i… pic.twitter.com/BML5ea35l0
— Marta Cienkowska (@MartaCienkowska) April 16, 2026
It comes after the rapper’s forthcoming concerts in Switzerland, Poland and three shows at London’s Wireless Festival, which were part of a 2026 world tour in support of his new album ‘Bully’ were also cancelled, in the wake of similar protests.
West also postponed a show at the Marseille Velodrome in France indefinitely, saying it was his “sole decision” to do so.
The rapper had previously shared a fresh apology for his past remarks amid the controversy surrounding his Wireless appearances shortly before the event was axed. He also later addressed the criticism in a new update to his Wall Street Journal “to those I’ve hurt” letter, which he originally shared in January.
West’s history of making antisemitic remarks dates back to 2022, when he made a series of offensive comments on social media. Those comments saw his accounts on both Instagram and Twitter suspended, and the musician was dropped by his lawyer, talent agency and record label, along with fashion brands such as Balenciaga and Adidas.
At first, West gave several interviews refusing to apologise for making the comments while suggesting that Jewish people should “forgive Hitler”. However, in 2023, West delivered an apology to the Jewish community, going on to blame alcohol for his behaviour the following year.
In the wake of that initial apology, numerous lawsuits were filed against the rapper with claims of extensive antisemitic behaviour. One former employee alleged that the rapper said Jewish people were “working together to hold him back”.
Another former employee claimed he used antisemitic language in the workplace and praised Hitler – something for which he allegedly paid a settlement for. In 2024, a separate ex-employee accused him of being openly antisemitic in front of his staff.
West also shared a number of highly controversial posts in early 2025, when he took back an apology he previously made to the Jewish community for antisemitic remarks, and then declared himself “a Nazi”. The rapper then claimed on X/Twitter that, “after further reflection”, he’d “come to the realisation that I’m not a Nazi”, followed only a few days later by yet more swastika apparel appearing on his X page.
The rapper has since apologised for his actions by meeting with a rabbi and taking out a full-page ad in the Wall Street Journal broadcasting a separate apology.
West kicked off his 2026 world tour at the SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, at the start of this month.
He also confirmed dates in New Delhi, India (May 23), Istanbul, Turkey (May 30), Arnhem, the Netherlands (June 6, 8), Chorzów, Poland (June 19), Reggio Emilia, Italy (July 18), Madrid, Spain (July 30), and Loulé, Portugal (August 7).
