An Amsterdam judge on Wednesday turned down an emergency request from a Jewish organization seeking to prevent two scheduled performances by rapper Ye, the artist previously known as Kanye West, determining the shows pose no risk to public safety.
The performer has sparked significant backlash in recent years following multiple antisemitic statements, prompting Dutch officials to face increasing demands to shut down the planned June 6 and 8 performances.
The Central Jewish Council submitted the urgent legal petition on Tuesday, contending that Ye should be prohibited from entering the Netherlands due to his expressed praise for Adolf Hitler and his sale of clothing items displaying swastikas.
The Amsterdam District Court found insufficient justification to prevent Ye from taking the stage. “There are no indications that West’s presence in the coming days will lead to concrete public order dangers,” the court said in a statement.
The Central Jewish Council voiced frustration over the decision. “The feeling we are getting is that it is okay if you are antisemitic,” Chanan Hertzberger, the organization’s chair, told The Associated Press.
Dutch legislators backed a proposal to prevent Ye from entering the Netherlands, but the country’s immigration minister indicated there was insufficient legal justification for such action. While describing Ye’s statements as “reprehensible,” Bart van den Brink told journalists last week there was “no reason to bar him.”
The 48-year-old artist was scheduled to perform his first European concerts in over ten years. In April, he was denied entry to the U.K. due to his controversial remarks, triggering multiple event cancellations. Performances in Italy and Poland have also been called off.
Over 100,000 attendees gathered in Istanbul on Saturday night for Ye’s debut performance in Turkey.
Event promoters report that 70,000 tickets have been purchased for the two scheduled concerts at the Gelredome in the eastern Dutch city of Arnhem.
In January, Ye issued an apology through a full-page advertisement in The Wall Street Journal, stating that his bipolar disorder led him to fall into “a four-month long, manic episode of psychotic, paranoid and impulsive behavior that destroyed my life.”
