logo
Kanye West banned from performing at major European venues after previous Australian visa rejection

Kanye West banned from performing at major European venues after previous Australian visa rejection

Express Tribune11-07-2025
Kanye West is facing widespread bans from performing at major venues across Europe, with industry insiders stating he has been told to 'stay away' from countries including Germany, France, the UK, Spain, Italy, Scandinavia and Australia.
This comes amid ongoing visa issues and venue boycotts linked to the rapper's repeated controversial statements and public support for Fascist rhetoric.
'He's getting his team to phone around desperately asking for gigs,' a source told Financial Express. 'No one will touch him with a barge pole. Wembley and the London Stadium both said, 'no chance, we don't need the protests,' and that was before the Heil Hitler single came out.'
The track, which ended with an audio sample from a 1935 Adolf Hitler speech, was banned in Germany for violating hate speech laws and removed from major streaming platforms.
Australia's Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke stated, 'But after the Heil Hitler song, he no longer has a valid visa. I think what's not sustainable is to import hatred.'
While West once headlined stadiums of 80,000, he is now scheduled to perform at the 26,000-capacity Rubicon Festival in Slovakia on 20 July.
Reports claim he is requesting $7 million per appearance, with few takers, as his estimated net worth has reportedly dropped from $2 billion to around $400 million.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Scooter Braun distances from Kanye West over antisemitic song and reflects on taylor swift feud
Scooter Braun distances from Kanye West over antisemitic song and reflects on taylor swift feud

Express Tribune

time20-07-2025

  • Express Tribune

Scooter Braun distances from Kanye West over antisemitic song and reflects on taylor swift feud

Music executive Scooter Braun has publicly distanced himself from Kanye West, citing the rapper's recent antisemitic statements and actions. Speaking on the Question Everything podcast, Braun said, 'I don't know him anymore,' referencing West's social media posts and the release of a controversial song titled Heil Hitler. Braun, who is Jewish and whose grandparents are Holocaust survivors, managed West for two to three years prior to the rapper's recent controversies. 'The person that I knew isn't someone who says those things,' Braun explained. 'Sometimes the hardest thing to do with someone you care about is mourn them while they're still here.' He added that he no longer maintains a relationship with West, stating, 'I'd rather stand proudly in who I am and who my people are, and be gracious and kind to all people, than be a part of that.' Asked whether West could be redeemed, Braun responded that his focus is now on raising his children and preparing them for the world. This public break comes amid widespread backlash against West, who has been criticized throughout the year for propagating antisemitic views. In May, West released Heil Hitler, a song that repeatedly praised Adolf Hitler and was dropped on VE Day—the anniversary marking the end of World War II in Europe. The track drew immediate condemnation for promoting Nazi ideology. In another part of the interview, Braun also addressed his long-running feud with Taylor Swift. Reflecting on his acquisition of her music catalog in 2019, Braun claimed the situation helped reinvigorate Swift's career. Despite Swift's public denouncement of the move, Braun insisted, 'Everyone involved... won.' Still, Swift's fans continue to criticize Braun for what they view as exploitative actions regarding her masters.

PTI faces internal rift over protest plans
PTI faces internal rift over protest plans

Express Tribune

time15-07-2025

  • Express Tribune

PTI faces internal rift over protest plans

The PTI is grappling with internal divisions over the timeline and strategy for a nationwide protest aimed at securing the release of its jailed founder, former prime minister Imran Khan. The discord, primarily between the party's central leadership and its Punjab chapter, has escalated as the proposed date of August 5 for peak protest approaches, marking two years since Khan's imprisonment. The central leadership - including Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur - has advocated for a 90-day campaign culminating in a decisive protest, emphasising a strategic build-up to maximise impact. Gandapur, speaking at a press conference in Lahore on July 13, described the movement as a "do-or-die" effort to challenge what PTI calls a "fascist regime", and to secure Khan's release. He stressed that the campaign would involve mobilising supporters in every district and tehsil, peaking by August 5, after which a new phase would be announced. In contrast, PTI Punjab Chief Organiser Aliya Hamza Malik has firmly backed an immediate protest on August 5, aligning with a call attributed to Imran Khan via his sister, Aleema Khan. Malik has reportedly threatened to resign if the party deviates from this date, highlighting a lack of coordination with the central leadership. Sources indicate that Malik has already directed the party's Punjab organisation to prepare for the August 5 protest, mobilising workers in districts such as Okara, Toba Tek Singh, Pakpattan, Faisalabad, and Chiniot. The rift became public when Malik, excluded from a key strategy meeting in Lahore, voiced her frustration on X. In a series of posts, she questioned the origins of the "90-day plan" and sought clarity on the movement's objectives, stating, "The focus and target is only the release of Imran Khan." Her absence from the meeting - which included Gandapur, PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja, and Punjab Assembly Opposition Leader Malik Ahmad Bhachar - was dismissed by Raja as "because of her other commitments", a claim Malik refuted sarcastically, noting she was unaware of her supposed business. However, Aleema Khan, speaking to the media, welcomed the Lahore gathering as a sign of unity among PTI parliamentarians but expressed ignorance about Malik's exclusion, stating, "We were told this was a meeting of parliamentarians." She reaffirmed Imran Khan's call for the protests to peaking on August 5, noting that his entire family, including his UK-based sons, would participate. Barrister Gohar has attempted to quell the discord, urging leaders to address concerns through internal party channels rather than at the public forums. "If any leader has a complaint, they should inform me directly," he said. Yet, this public spat has raised concerns about cohesion among the PTI ranks at a critical juncture, with some analysts suggesting it reflects deeper issues of centralisation and trust within the party. Meanwhile, the Punjab government, led by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, has signalled a firm stance against potential unrest. Punjab Information Minister Azma Bukhari acknowledged the right to peaceful protest but accused the PTI of having a history of violence – a reference to May 9, 2023, incidents. "No political party is allowed to attack with weapons," Bukhari said.

Hip hop fest cancelled amid Kanye furore
Hip hop fest cancelled amid Kanye furore

Express Tribune

time12-07-2025

  • Express Tribune

Hip hop fest cancelled amid Kanye furore

The Slovakia festival due to welcome Kanye West next week has called off the event following the uproar over the US rapper's May release of a song glorifying Nazi leader Adolf Hitler. Before the July 20 gig was cancelled, Bratislava's Rubicon hip hop festival was set to be West's only confirmed live performance in Europe this year. Though he has won 24 Grammy Awards over the course of his career, the erratic rapper has become notorious in recent years for his increasingly antisemitic and hate-filled rants. West, who has legally changed his name to the shorthand "Ye", released the song Heil Hitler on May 8, the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II. In the wake of the announcement of West's appearance at Rubicon, thousands of people signed a petition against the gig. The rapper – a vocal supporter of US President Donald Trump – is "repeatedly and openly adhering to symbols and ideology connected with the darkest period of modern global history", two groups behind the petition said. In a statement on Instagram late on Wednesday, the festival's organisers said the decision to cancel the event was "due to media pressure and the withdrawal of several artists and partners". "This was not an easy decision," the organisers said, without drawing a direct line between the rapper's planned appearance and the cancellations. Contacted on Thursday by AFP, the Rubicon festival did not offer further explanations. Styling itself as the central European country's premier hip hop hang-out, the Rubicon festival was set to run from July 18 to 20. US rappers Offset and Sheck Wes were set to share top billing with West. Australia cancelled West's visa on July 2 over Heil Hitler, in which West raps about his custody battle with ex-wife Kim Kardashian before the song ends with an extract of a speech by the Nazi dictator. West's wife, Bianca Censori, is Australian.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store