Florida Senator Rick Scott is urging the Tampa Sports Authority to cancel Kanye West‘s upcoming concerts in the state over “consistent anti-Semitic attacks”.
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The politician shared a letter to the venue operator yesterday (June 5), arguing that it would be a “slap in the face” to allow the rapper – now known as Ye – to perform his planned gigs at Raymond James Stadium on June 26 and 29, given his history of “constant anti-Semitic attacks.”
“It is troubling that a stadium supported by taxpayer dollars would openly subsidise an event led by an artist known for pushing this dangerous, hateful rhetoric, especially with Florida having one of the largest Jewish populations in our country,” Scott wrote in the letter.
The senator points specifically to instances in which West “openly praised Nazis, called himself one, and slandered Jews across the world,” as well as when he sold white T-shirts emblazoned with black swastikas on his website. “West’s remarks are vile and a slap in the face to our state’s Jewish community,” Scott said.
Scott also cited recent backlash to West’s returning to the stage as a reason why the gigs should be cancelled. “West has been condemned by political figures across the political aisle. His outbursts and hate have helped to mainstream antisemitism,” Scott said. “He was recently barred from performing in the United Kingdom due to offensive antisemitic remarks.”
“I am confident that the Tampa Sports Authority will continue fostering a safe and inclusive community, especially for Jewish Floridians,” Scott wrote. “No taxpayer dollars should be used to give a vocal anti-Semite a stage in Florida, and I am sure that you will take appropriate action to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
However, it appears that the show will go ahead as planned. The Tampa Sports Authority issued the following statement in response to Scott: “We recognise the concerns and viewpoints being expressed about the upcoming events at Raymond James Stadium. As a public agency, we follow the principles of free speech in operating our venue, although we do not condone remarks or actions from any artists that are offensive and divisive,” as per Rolling Stone.
.@kanyewest’s antisemitic remarks are vile & a slap in the face to Florida’s Jewish community.
It’s EXTREMELY troubling that TAXPAYER dollars are being used to fund his upcoming concert in Tampa.
I’m demanding ACTION. pic.twitter.com/15vtQQjhVp
— Rick Scott (@SenRickScott) June 4, 2026
It comes after the rapper claimed to have broken a record with his recent gig at Istanbul’s Atatürk Olympic Stadium, which reportedly drew a crowd of 118,000. He has claimed it was the largest stadium performance in history.
Ye was set to perform further solo shows in Switzerland, Poland, France, and London on the European tour, but all have been cancelled, with the trek marred by continued backlash in the wake of anti-Semitic comments made by the ‘Bully’ artist in recent years.
Initially, his booking to headline all three nights of London’s Wireless Festival sparked an enormous backlash given his previous anti-Semitic comments and proclamations that he saw “good things about Hitler”.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer was among those to criticise the slot, several sponsors cut their ties with the festival, 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.
The rapper shared a fresh apology for some of his previous remarks shortly before Wireless was axed, and later addressed the criticism in an update to his Wall Street Journal “to those I’ve hurt” letter, which he originally shared in January.
However, a handful of gigs on the tour will go ahead, including one in Albania and two recently confirmed gigs in the Netherlands.
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 Istanbul date marked the opening night of West’s first European tour in 11 years — and it came after a summer of closures across the continent. The live dates continue with a stop in Arnhem, Netherlands on June 6 and 8.
