Kanye West postpones concert in France amid calls for him to be banned after he was barred from entering UK

Kanye West announced on Tuesday that he was postponing a scheduled concert in France after government officials announced their intent to ban him from the country.

The controversial rapper attempted to paint the decision to delay the concert until an unspecified date as something that was wholly his decision.

'After much thought and consideration, it is my sole decision to postpone my show in Marseille, France until further notice,' the 48-year-old performer wrote on X.

France's attempts to ban West — who has attracted widespread condemnation for antisemitic and racist statements in recent years — come in the wake of the United Kingdom's decision to bar him from his upcoming headlining slot at the Wireless Festival in July.

West has been attempting to put on a string of comeback performances in recent weeks, following the publication in January of a full-page ad in the Wall Street Journal, in which he apologized for his antisemitic statements and attributed them to the lingering effects of a traumatic brain injury that he allegedly suffered in a 2002 car crash.

An hour and a half after sharing his terse initial statement, West returned to X with a lengthier post reiterating his desire to prove that he had changed his ways and made strides in his recovery. 

'I know it takes time to understand the sincerity of my commitment to make amends[.] I take full responsibility for what’s mine but I don’t want to put my fans in the middle of it,' West wrote. 'My fans are everything to me[.] Looking forward to the next shows[.] See you at the top of the globe 🌏.'

West had been scheduled to perform a concert at Marseille's Velodrome stadium on June 11, but the concert met with significant resistance in France. 

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said he was 'highly determined' and exploring 'all options' to ban the rapper's only concert in France this summer, a source close to the minister told AFP. 

Earlier this year, the city's socialist mayor, Benoît Payan declared that the Gold Digger hitmaker was 'not welcome' in Marseille, stating on social media: 'I refuse to let Marseille be a showcase for those who promote hatred and unabashed Nazism'.

The rapper, who legally changed his name to Ye in 2021, drew criticism last year after he released a song titled Heil Hitler and advertised a swastika T-shirt for sale on his website.

France's desire to block West from performing comes after he was barred from entering the UK months before he was scheduled to headline the Wireless Festival in July. 

Festival organizers canceled the three-day outdoor event as a result of the travel ban and said those who had bought tickets would receive refunds.

West had applied for an electronic travel authorization to visit the UK, but it was blocked by the government because his presence in the country would not be 'conducive to the public good.' 

'Kanye West should never have been invited to headline Wireless,' Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a statement posted on social media. 

'This government stands firmly with the Jewish community, and we will not stop in our fight to confront and defeat the poison of antisemitism. We will always take the action necessary to protect the public and uphold our values.'

The rapper had been expected to play his first UK dates for more than a decade in front of around 150,000 revelers over three nights — July 10-12 — at the Wireless Festival in London's Finsbury Park. Other acts for the festival had not yet been announced.

The event's organizers had been under mounting pressure from sponsors and politicians to cancel the West performance, as he has drawn widespread condemnation for making antisemitic remarks and voicing admiration for Adolf Hitler.

West apologized in January with a letter, published as a full-page advertisement in The Wall Street Journal.

He said his bipolar disorder led him to fall into 'a four-month long, manic episode of psychotic, paranoid and impulsive behavior that destroyed my life.' 

Health Secretary Wes Streeting said Ye's actions amounted to a 'pattern of behavior', citing the song Heil Hitler and his offensive merchandise, and he accused West of using mental ​health as an excuse.

Festival Republic managing director Melvin Benn had previously said Ye's comments were 'abhorrent' ​but defended the ⁠booking, arguing against denying artists second chances.

Jewish groups welcomed the visa decision. The Board of Deputies of British Jews said meaningful engagement would require genuine remorse, while the Jewish Leadership Council had condemned the booking amid a rise in antisemitic attacks.

West ⁠has not ​performed in Britain since headlining Glastonbury in 2015. Sponsors including Diageo, ​Pepsi and Anheuser‑Busch InBev withdrew support for Wireless, while PayPal said its branding would not appear in future Wireless promotional materials.