Wireless Festival cancelled after Kanye West blocked from coming to UK

This summer's Wireless Festival has been cancelled after headliner Kanye West was blocked from coming to the UK.

The government refused permission for West, now known as Ye, to travel to the UK after backlash to his planned set at the London festival this summer.

For the last several years, West has caused outrage for a string of antisemitic, racist and pro-Nazi comments.

In a statement, Wireless Festival said it was cancelled and refunds would be issued to all ticket holders. It added that "multiple stakeholders" had been consulted ahead of booking West, "and no concerns were highlighted at the time".

It continued: "Antisemitism in all its forms is abhorrent, and we recognise the real and personal impact these issues have had.

"As Ye said today, he acknowledges that words alone are not enough, and in spite of this still hopes to be given the opportunity to begin a conversation with the Jewish community in the UK."

Presale tickets for Wireless Festival were released at midday on Tuesday and are believed to have sold out, while the general sale was due to open at midday on Wednesday.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Home Office told the BBC the rapper had made an application on Monday to travel to the UK via an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA).

It said the decision to refuse permission was made on the grounds that his presence would not be conducive to the public good.

Visitors to the UK need an ETA if they do not need a visa for short stays of up to six months, or do not already have a UK immigration status.

West has faced criticism for his previous comments. In 2022, he posted on social media saying he would go "death con 3 On Jewish people".

Later the same year, he appeared on a podcast hosted by conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and said: "I see good things about Hitler."

In May 2025, West released a song called Heil Hitler and sold T-shirts featuring swastikas.

The rapper has been seeking a return to mainstream public view after apologising for his actions in a lengthy statement published in the Wall Street Journal in January.

Just last week, he played two sold-out concerts in Los Angeles, telling the crowd at the SoFi Stadium: "Tonight we're going to put all this behind us, ain't that right LA?"

West had said on Tuesday that he "would be grateful" to meet members of the Jewish community in the UK in person "to listen" after controversy over his booking.

"I know words aren't enough," added the star.

"I'll have to show change through my actions. If you're open, I'm here."

Melvin Benn, the managing director of Festival Republic, the company behind Wireless, previously said attempts had been made to reach out to Jewish groups after the concerts were announced, but "they have refused a meeting". He said that the approach had been made over the past couple of days.

In response, a Board of Deputies spokesperson told the BBC: "Neither the Board of Deputies nor, we understand, the Jewish Leadership Council has refused any request to meet with the Wireless festival organisers.

"When the Board of Deputies received a letter from Melvin Benn on 6 April, proposing to meet, in response to a letter we sent setting out our concerns, we responded positively."

The board said that, regardless of any meeting, they had been clear that the invitation for West to perform "should be rescinded".

That decision has now been taken out of West's hands, and those of Festival Republic, which runs other major UK festivals including Reading and Leeds.

"It may be that the home secretary does rescind his visa... if she does, the issue is over," he told the Today programme.

Benn, who is a major UK music industry figure and event promoter, agreed that West's past behaviour was "abhorrent" and "disgusting".

But the promoter highlighted the role that the star's mental health may have played, and asked for understanding.

"Mental health is not something that disappears overnight," Benn said.

"People suffer psychotic behaviour, suffer bipolar behaviour, for many, many years... And I think people are forgetting that."

However, Jewish groups criticised Benn's support for the star.

The Community Security Trust (CST), which aims to protect British Jews from antisemitism, described the government's decision to stop West travelling to the UK as "a sensible outcome to what has been yet another bruising episode for British Jews".

Its statement added: "Anti-Jewish hatred should have no place in society and cultural leaders have a role to play in ensuring that is the case.

"People who show genuine and meaningful remorse for previous antisemitic behaviour will always receive a sympathetic hearing from the Jewish community, but that process must come before this kind of public rehabilitation."

Gideon Falter, chief executive of Campaign Against Antisemitism, has called for an apology from the organisers of Wireless.

He told the BBC that the booking of West represented a pursuit of "profit over principle" and that it was a pity that it took government intervention for "sense to finally prevail".

"Nobody knows what would have come out of Kanye West's mouth next if you would have given him the stage at Wireless Festival," Falter said.

After the cancellation was announced on Tuesday, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said: "Kanye West should never have been invited to headline Wireless.

"This government stands firmly with the Jewish community, and we will not stop in our fight to confront and defeat the poison of antisemitism.

"We will always take the action necessary to protect the public and uphold our values."

Health Secretary Wes Streeting expressed similar sentiments earlier, calling West's apology "mealy-mouthed and self-serving", and accusing Wireless of offering the rapper a "fig leaf of credibility".

"If he wants forgiveness, it's not my forgiveness he needs," Streeting told Radio 4.

"It's the forgiveness of the Jewish communities and I don't think he's done anything to earn it."

Shadow home secretary Chris Philp had said West was "guilty of appalling antisemitic and pro-Nazi comments" and urged home secretary Shabana Mahmood to use her powers under the Immigration Act to refuse him a visa.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said he was glad the government had "listened and done the right thing by banning Kanye West from coming to the UK to peddle this hatred".

Nigel Farage had earlier warned against banning the rapper from entering the country, but described his previous comments as "Nazism" and said: "I wouldn't recommend anyone buys a ticket."

Meanwhile, fans and detractors have been getting in touch with the BBC to voice their views.

"I am a Kanye West fan, but it is absolutely the right decision," Chris Haydon, from Kent, told the BBC.

"It was ludicrous to even book Kanye for Wireless in the first place - let alone think it was a good business decision to secure him as the headliner for three entire days.

"Sure, he has a fantastic breadth of music, but that's not the point. His behaviour has been repeatedly indefensible. It's not a one-off rogue comment - it's been years of deplorable behaviour."

He added that it was "inevitable" that there would be "direct distress" for the Jewish communities neighbouring Finsbury Park, where the festival was set to be held.

Rosie told the BBC: "I didn't realise some of the things he's said were as bad as they were until right now. If I'd known the depth of it before I'd booked, I might have felt differently about it.

"From a selfish point of view, I feel more resentment towards him as an artist. It's inexcusable now really. "

But another fan, Courtney, said: "I bought my ticket in the PayPal pre-sale three or four days ago. I had looked at flights and accommodation, but my friend, she's been a big Kanye West fan since she was about 13, and she's just bought her ticket this morning.

"I was really disappointed. Everything that's going on in the UK at the moment [when it comes to free speech] is absolutely ridiculous."

Another, Daniel, described himself as "a very self-aware fan."

"I know that what he's said is definitely not okay, but I feel that people should vote with their money, and if people didn't agree with what he said, then they shouldn't buy tickets.

"The government stepping in... completely breaks the fact that people should be able to vote with their money."