Kanye West's international woes could continue as French officials have announced they’re exploring legal action to ban him from performing in the country.
On Tuesday (April 14), AFP reported that France's interior minister, Laurent Nunez, is "highly determined" to block the controversial artist from performing at a June 11 concert in the city of Marseille due to his past antisemitic remarks.
In March, the mayor of Marseille, Benoit Payan, also made it clear he doesn't want Ye's concert to take place. "I refuse to let Marseille be a showcase for those who promote hatred and unapologetic Nazism," he wrote on X. "Kanye West is not welcome at the Vélodrome, our temple of living together and of all Marseillais."
However, according to France's highest administrative court, "local state authorities can only ban a concert under strict conditions, if statements at the event risk constituting a criminal offense and if public order is threatened."
According to Variety, Nunez held meetings last week with Jacques Witkowski, the prefect of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region, as well as Payan, to discuss what can legally be done to block the concert.
The move to ban West from France comes after the UK government announced earlier this month that it would not be permitting the Grammy Award-winning artist to perform at Wireless Festival this summer.
The Home Office confirmed that Ye has been blocked from traveling to the country after he filed an application through an Electronic Travel Authorization on April 6. The government said that his presence in the country would not be beneficial to the UK public due to his history of antisemitism.
As a result of the Home Office’s decision to reject Ye’s application, representatives for Wireless confirmed that the London festival has now been cancelled.
Amid the backlash, Ye released a statement and said that his "only goal" with his performances at Wireless Festival was to "present a show of change."
"I’ve been following the conversation around Wireless and want to address it directly," Ye said in the statement, shared with Complex by festival reps on April 7. "My only goal is to come to London and present a show of change, bringing unity, peace, and love through my music. I would be grateful for the opportunity to meet with members of the Jewish community in the UK in person, to listen. I know words aren't enough. I’ll have to show change through my actions. If you're open, I'm here."
In late 2022, Kanye West faced widespread backlash after he sat down for an interview with controversial conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, during which he praised Adolf Hitler. Instead of backing down and apologizing for his comments, he doubled down and later sold t-shirts featuring the swastika and recorded a track named "Heil Hitler."
Earlier this year, Ye took out a full-page ad in The Wall Street Journal in which he offered a lengthy apology for his antisemitic comments and reflected on having bipolar disorder and how it has impacted his life.
