Kanye West's European tour has suffered further setbacks as concerts in Poland and Switzerland have been cancelled, following similar actions in France and the UK over his past antisemitic remarks.
Swiss football club FC Basel, which manages events at St Jakob-Park stadium, announced on Saturday it would not host West's scheduled June show. A club spokesperson stated, 'We cannot, in accordance with our values, provide a platform for the artist in question within this context.'
In Poland, the Silesian Stadium in Chorzów cancelled West's 19 June concert after the culture ministry sought to bar him from performing. Culture Minister Marta Cienkowska condemned West's 'promotion of nazism' as contrary to Polish values, noting that 'in a country marked by the history of the Holocaust, we cannot pretend that this is just entertainment.'
The cancellations follow Britain's earlier decision to block West from headlining London's Wireless festival, which led to the festival's cancellation. West's remaining European tour stops now include Turkey, the Netherlands, Italy, Madrid, and Portugal.
West has a history of antisemitic statements, including expressing admiration for Hitler and selling swastika-emblazoned merchandise. In January, he took out a full-page ad declaring he is not a Nazi or antisemite, attributing past behaviour to a manic episode, but he has previously retracted similar apologies.
