Kanye West Will Perform in the Netherlands After Global Bans Over Remarks
Kanye West's Upcoming Concerts in the Netherlands Amid Controversy
AMSTERDAM, May 29 (Reuters) - U.S. rapper Kanye West, who has been barred from performing in several countries due to past antisemitic comments, is set to hold concerts in the Netherlands next month, after its migration minister said there were no legal grounds to deny him entry.
Government Response to Calls for Ban
Dutch lawmakers had urged the government to bar West, who is now known as Ye, citing his past remarks and expressions of admiration for Nazism and Adolf Hitler.
Official Statement from Migration Minister
"Solid grounds are needed to bar people from entering (the Netherlands). We have not found those in the analyses that were conducted," Bart van den Brink said on Friday. "His past statements are not, at this moment, a reason to deny him entry."
Details of the Scheduled Performances
The 48-year-old rapper will perform at concert venue GelreDome in the city of Arnhem, about 100 km (62 miles) southeast of Amsterdam, on June 6 and 8. They would be Ye's first European performances since 2014, GelreDome said on its website.
Local Authorities and Public Reaction
Arnhem authorities said no permits to protest the concerts had so far been requested.
International Backlash and Previous Bans
Ye has faced a growing global backlash, including for his release of "Heil Hitler", a song promoting Nazism.
Recent Denials and Cancellations
In April, Britain denied Ye entry on the grounds his presence would not be conducive to the public good, forcing the cancellation of his planned Wireless Festival appearance in London. Later that month, he also postponed a Marseille show after reports the French government had sought to block it, and a concert in Poland was also subsequently cancelled.
Ye's Public Apology and Explanation
In January, Ye took out a full-page ad in U.S. newspaper the Wall Street Journal renouncing his past admiration for Hitler and apologising for his behaviour, which he attributed to an undiagnosed brain injury and untreated bipolar disorder.
(Reporting by Charlotte Van Campenhout, Suban Abdulla; Editing by Joe Bavier)
