Kanye West’s comeback has been dealt a further blow as two more European shows have been cancelled.
The controversial rapper had been due to perform at St Jakob-Park – the home ground of soccer team FC Basel – in Basel, Switzerland in June, but the gig has now been called off.
According to Reuters, representatives for the football club said the gig was “not in accordance with our values, adding: “FCB [ FC Basel] received an enquiry and considered it.
“However, after thorough review, we have decided not to proceed with the project, as we cannot, in accordance with our values, provide a platform for the artist in question within this context.”
Kanye’s plans to perform in Poland this summer have also been axed. He had been due to take to the stage at the Silesian Stadium in Chorzow on 19 June – which would have marked his first performance in the country in 15 years – but the gig has now been called off.
In a statement posted on the venue’s website, stadium director Adam Strzyzewski explained: “The concert by Ye (Kanye West), scheduled for 19 June 2026 at the Superauto.pl Silesian Stadium, will not take place due to formal and legal reason.”
The cancellation came after Poland’s culture minister, Marta Cienkowska, criticised plans for West’s gig because of his previous anti-Semitic comments and expression of admiration for Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.
In a post on X, Cienkowska wrote: “The decision to organize a Kanye West concert in Poland is unacceptable. We are talking about an artist who has publicly expressed antisemitic views, downplayed crimes, and profited from selling swastika T-shirts.
“These are not ‘controversies’. This is a deliberate crossing of boundaries and the normalization of hatred. In a country scarred by the history of the Holocaust, we cannot pretend that this is just entertainment.
“Artistic freedom does not mean giving a free pass to everything. Culture cannot be a space for those who exploit it to spread hatred.”
The double cancellation comes after West’s show in Marseille, France on June 11 was postponed “until further notice”, according to the rapper.
His plan to headline three nights at the Wireless Festival in London was also axed after the star was was blocked from coming to the UK by the Home Office and it led to the whole festival being cancelled.
The Wireless cancellation followed criticism from UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who went on to defend the decision not to let West enter the country.
In a post on X, he wrote: “This government stands firmly with the Jewish community, and we will not stop in our fight to confront and defeat the poison of antisemitism.
“We will always take the action necessary to protect the public and uphold our values.”
