Kanye West’s upcoming gig in Italy has been cancelled due to ‘safety concerns’ from the local government.
The rapper, 48, was due to perform at the Pulse of Gaia Festival at the RCF Arena in the city of Reggio Emilia on July 18.
However, local prefect Salvatore Angieri has put a halt to the gig after ‘concerns’ were raised about crowd numbers and the possibility of ‘counter-demonstrations’ at the event.
The cancelled concert comes after a series of highly controversial remarks previously made by West, many of which had been perceived as antisemitic in nature.
He also released a song called Heil Hitler and advertised a swastika T-shirt for sale on his site.
Taking the above into account, the Reggio Angieri governance released a statement in which they explained their reasons for cancelling the concert.
A translated statement issued by the Reggio Emilia government also referenced the cancellation of another festival on July 17.
Featuring a performance from Travis Scott, this was called off due to the events being scheduled on consecutive days – and in the wake of 10 people dying at his Astroworld festival in 2021.
The statement read: ‘The meeting was dedicated to examining the public order and safety issues associated with [West’s] 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 planned performance at London’s Wireless festival was cancelled after the UK Home Office refused to grant West a Visa.
The Home Office said the permission had been denied because his ‘presence would not be conducive to the public good’.
Soon after, West announced that he would be postponing his show in Marseille, France, after calls to ban him from entering the country.
Shows in Poland and Switzerland were subsequently cancelled, although his performance at Algarve Stadium in Portugal is still scheduled to go ahead.
‘It’s a music event that’s going to happen,’ Torcato Jorge, CEO and co-founder of organiser Raya Culture, told Euronews Culture in April.
However, the Ministry of Internal Affairs told the publication it is ‘closely monitoring the situation’ for any concerns around threats to national security or public order.
Known as Ye since 2018, the Gold Digger hitmaker has racked up controversies over the years.
Condemned for ‘hateful’ and ‘inexcusable’ behaviour, the height of his controversy saw him dropped by fashion giants Adidas and Gap – causing his net worth to plummet from $2billion (£1.3bn) to $400million (£348m).
Other outbursts have included his praising Hitler, opposing abortion and gay marriage, supporting gun rights, and endorsing Donald Trump.
In addition, he has also defended rapper Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs against allegations of rape and sexual assault, said that the continuation of slavery for 400 years ‘sounds like a choice’ (for which he later apologised), and declared the Black Lives Matter movement a ‘scam.’
In December 2022 – soon after his divorce from Kim Kardashian was finalised – he claimed that his bipolar disorder had been a ‘misdiagnosis from a Jewish doctor’.
In January this year, West took out a full-page advert in the Wall Street Journal to apologise for his polarising behaviour and antisemitic remarks.
Titled ‘To Those I’ve Hurt,’ the letter opened by explaining how he’d been in a car accident, which ’caused injury to the right frontal lobe’ of West’s brain.
He claimed that this accident, which occurred 25 years ago, caused ‘serious damage’ to his mental health and led to his bipolar diagnosis.
He continued: ‘When you’re manic, you don’t think you’re sick. You think everyone else is overreacting. You feel like you’re seeing the world more clearly than ever, when in reality you’re losing your grip entirely,’ he pens.
‘Once people label you as “crazy,” you feel as if you cannot contribute anything meaningful to the world. It’s easy for people to joke and laugh it off when in fact this is a very serious debilitating disease you can die from.’
He went on to say that he had ‘lost touch with reality’ in recent years and, subsequently, continued to ‘ignore the problem’.
West continued: ‘I said and did things I deeply regret. Some of the people I love the most, I treated the worst. You endured fear, confusion, humiliation, and the exhaustion of trying to have someone who was, at times, unrecognisable. Looking back, I became detached from my true self.’
‘In that fractured state, I gravitated toward the most destructive symbol I could find, the swastika, and even sold T-shirts bearing it,’ West recalled.
Soon after, he further elaborated on the letter, telling Vanity Fair that he is ‘not a Nazi or an antisemite.’
Pointing out that his album sales had never faltered even during the height of controversy, he said: ‘This, for me, as evidenced by the letter, isn’t about reviving my commerciality. This is because these remorseful feelings were so heavy on my heart and weighing on my spirit.
‘I owe a huge apology once again for everything that I said that hurt the Jewish and Black communities in particular.
‘All of it went too far. I look at wreckage of my episode and realize that this isn’t who I am. As a public figure, so many people follow and listen to my every word. It’s important that they realize and understand what side of history that I want to stand on. And that is one of love and positivity.’
He added: ‘Not until I was out of the episode and in treatment did the reality set in of what I did while I was disconnected from my true self.’
Got a story?
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.