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Melvin Benn, who books Wireless Festival, says Kanye West will remain the event’s headliner despite the exit of numerous sponsors.
After West was announced as the headliner for all three days of the festival this summer, several of the event’s major sponsors withdrew their support, including Pepsi, Diageo, and PayPal. His involvement also drew backlash from UK officials, including Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
However, Wireless Festival appears to be standing by West, with Benn asking for “forgiveness” on the rapper’s behalf while attempting to justify his booking despite West’s long history of antisemitism.
Benn, who described himself as “a deeply committed anti-fascist” who “lived on a kibbutz for many months in the 1970s that was attacked on October 7th,” said the festival “is not giving [West] 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,” Benn continued, “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.”
It’s worth noting that there is also an effort underway to block West from even entering the UK, so the decision for him to play Wireless Festival may ultimately be out of Benn’s hands.
Read Kiana Fitzgerald’s new editorial on why the industry is once again giving Kanye West a pass.
Melvin Benn’s statement in full:
“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.”
“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.
“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.”
English (US) · 