A wave of protests falls on Kanye West. After sharing anti-Semitic comments in early October on his Instagram and Twitter accounts, the rapper is facing strong backlash from political leaders, public figures and members of the Jewish community calling for a boycott of the artist.
“Those who continue to do business with West are giving an audience to his misplaced hate. There should be no tolerance. […] for West’s anti-Semitism”, reacted in particular the American star agent and founder of Endeavor Talent Agency, Ari Emanuel, in an editorial in the financial times where he calls on all companies to break their ties with the rapper, including Apple, Spotify and Adidas.
“We are at a time in history where the stakes are high and it is essential to speak openly about our values and live by them. Silence and inaction are not an option,” he added.
According to Bloombergthe Adidas brand should also end its association with Kanye West on Tuesday following this controversy.
Resurgence of anti-Semitic acts in the United States
On October 9, Instagram and Twitter restricted the rapper’s accounts after comments deemed anti-Semitic. On Instagram, Kanye West posted screenshots of a conversation with rapper Diddy, who criticized the “White Lives Matter” t-shirt the artist wore during Paris Fashion Week.
In the caption of his now-deleted post, Kanye West wrote, “I’ll use you as an example to show the Jews who told you to call me that no one can threaten me or influence me.”
The rapper then said on Twitter that he was going to attack Jews. A post that has since been removed by the social network for violating the platform’s rules.
Since these comments, the city of Los Angeles has seen an increase in anti-Jewish acts. This Saturday, a group of white supremacists hung anti-Semitic banners on a highway. Banners reading: “Kanye West is right about the Jews.”
“We should all condemn the hate spewed out by Kanye West, which has real consequences that we saw in Los Angeles this weekend,” he said. said on Twitter The congresswoman and candidate for mayor of the city, Karen Bass.
boycott call
Same story from the side of the personalities of the music and entertainment industry. On Twitter, Kim Kardashian particularly condemned her ex-husband’s “hate speech,” which is “never acceptable or excusable.”
“I support the Jewish community and call for an immediate end to the terrible violence and hateful rhetoric against them,” he added.
After Kim Kardashian, many stars such as comedian Amy Schumer, actress Florence Pugh or the Kardashian sisters (Khloe, Kendall and Kylie), have also spoken out to condemn the American rapper’s anti-Semitism on social networks.
The heads of major Hollywood agencies have also called for a boycott of Kanye West. In a memo to staff, Jeremy Zimmer, director of UTA, who previously represented the rapper, wrote that his comments “encourage others to magnify his despicable beliefs,” according to the hollywood reporter.
As a result, production company MRC said on Monday that it was ultimately not airing its recently completed documentary on Kanye West. Another consequence, this time musical: the rapper’s streams are down 23% and his radio broadcast is down 13% in the United States since his anti-Semitic statements, according to reports. variety.
Source: BFM TV
