A managing director for the organization behind Wireless Festival has come out in support of Ye, the artist formerly known as Kanye West, asking that people “offer some forgiveness and hope” to the rapper as sponsors have begun dropping out of the event.
Melvin Benn, who serves as managing director at Festival Republic, the U.K. promoter behind Wireless, issued a statement to Variety on Monday defending Ye based on his own experiences dealing with people who suffer from mental health issues. “I have witnessed many episodes of despicable behaviour that I have had to forgive and move on from,” he wrote. “If I wasn’t before, I have become a person of forgiveness and hope in all aspects of my life, including work.”
He called Ye’s previous declarations about Jews and Hitler “abhorrent,” but that they are “not giving him a platform to extol opinion of whatever nature” but only to perform songs that are “enjoyed by millions.” “Forgiveness and giving people a second chance are becoming a lost virtue in this ever-increasing divisive world,” he stated, “and I would ask people to reflect on their instant comments of disgust at the likelihood of him performing (as was mine) and offer some forgiveness and hope to him as I have decided to do.”
Ye’s headlining performances across the three-night Wireless Festival, set to take place in London in July, have become a lightning rod for controversy over the past week. The festival’s primary sponsor, Pepsi, announced on Sunday that it is withdrawing from its decade-plus co-branding with Wireless, and was followed by Diageo, owner of Johnnie Walker and Captain Morgan, pulling out of its sponsorship. Earlier today, Rockstar and Paypal revealed they were also withdrawing sponsorship.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer also condemned Ye’s appearance in a statement to the British newspaper the Sun. “It is deeply concerning Kanye West has been booked to perform at Wireless despite his previous antisemitic remarks and celebration of Nazism,” he said. “Antisemitism in any form is abhorrent and must be confronted firmly wherever it appears. Everyone has a responsibility to ensure Britain is a place where Jewish people feel safe.”
Read Benn’s full statement below:
I am a deeply committed anti-fascist and have been all my adult life. I lived on a kibbutz for many months in the 1970’s that was attacked on October 7th, am pro Jew and the Jewish state, while being equally committed to a Palestinian state.
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Having had a person in my life for the last 15 years who suffers from mental illness, I have witnessed many episodes of despicable behaviour that I have had to forgive and move on from. If I wasn’t before, I have become a person of forgiveness and hope in all aspects of my life, including work.
What Ye has said in the past about Jews and Hitler is as abhorrent to me as it is to the Jewish community, the Prime Minister and others that have commented and – taking him at his word – to Ye now also.
Ye’s music is played on commercial radio stations in this country. It is available via live streams and downloads in this country without comment or vitriol from anyone and he has a legal right to come into the country and to perform in this country. He is intended to come in and perform. We are not giving him a platform to extol opinion of whatever nature, only to perform the songs that are currently played on the radio stations in our country and the streaming platforms in our country and listened to and enjoyed by millions.
Forgiveness and giving people a second chance are becoming a lost virtue in this ever-increasing divisive world and I would ask people to reflect on their instant comments of disgust at the likelihood of him performing (as was mine) and offer some forgiveness and hope to him as I have decided to do.
From Variety US