A stadium in southern Poland has canceled a June concert by US rapper Kanye West, citing formal and legal reasons after the country’s culture ministry warned the event would promote a criminal ideology.
The Superauto.pl Silesian Stadium in Chorzów announced the cancellation on its website, stating the June 19 performance would not grab place due to formal-legal grounds.
Poland’s Culture Minister Marta Cienkowska had previously said she wanted to prevent West from performing in the country, calling his planned appearance unacceptable and accusing him of openly praising Hitler, promoting Nazi ideology, and profiting from T-shirts bearing swastikas.
She told the Polish press agency PAP she could not imagine such a concert taking place in a nation where people were murdered in German extermination camps, emphasizing that Poland’s Holocaust history makes such events more than mere entertainment.
West, who now performs under the name Ye, has faced increasing backlash in recent years for antisemitic remarks, including releasing a song titled „Heil Hitler“ to mark the 80th anniversary of World War II’s end and selling clothing with Nazi symbols.
He has attributed his past statements to bipolar disorder, insisting he is neither a Nazi nor an antisemite, and issued a public apology in early 2026 through the Wall Street Journal.
The minister warned organizers not to provide public space to promoters of criminal ideology, stressing that West’s actions and Nazi-related merchandise directly contradict Polish national values.
Why did Poland cancel the concert?
Poland canceled the concert because the government deemed West’s public antisemitism and promotion of Nazi ideology incompatible with the country’s historical memory of Holocaust victims and its legal standards for public events.
What has West said about his past remarks?
West has said his antisemitic comments stemmed from bipolar disorder, maintained he is not a Nazi or antisemite, and apologized in early 2026 while continuing to perform under the name Ye.
