Melvin Benn, managing director at Festival Republic, one of the organisers, defended the decision to have Ye headline the event despite his “abhorrent” comments, urging the public to offer him forgiveness.
Benn said Ye would not be given “a platform to extol opinion” while on stage. He said Ye’s music was played on commercial radio stations in the country and available via livestreams and downloads “without comment or vitriol from anyone,” adding that he had a “legal right to come into the country and perform.”
“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 … and offer some forgiveness and hope to him as I have decided to do,” Benn added.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer also described as “deeply concerning” the decision to book Ye for the London festival.
“Antisemitism in any form is abhorrent and must be confronted firmly wherever it appears,” Starmer said in comments first reported by the Sun on Sunday.
“Everyone has a responsibility to ensure Britain is a place where Jewish people feel safe and secure.”
The decision to book Ye prompted several companies to pull their sponsorship of the festival, while the main opposition Conservative Party wrote to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, urging her to ban him from coming to Britain.
Asked for comment, a Home Office source said ministers were reviewing his permission to enter the country.
The Home Office does not usually comment on individual cases, but Mahmood has powers to personally request Ye be excluded from the UK. In January, the department revoked the Electronic Travel Authorisation of Eva Vlaardingerbroek, a Dutch far-right activist, for spreading false information.
Reuters
