By Serge Duchêne
Published on
American rapper Kanye ‘Ye’ West has postponed his planned concert in Marseille, following reports that French Interior Minister Laurent Núñez was trying to prevent the gig.
“I know it takes time to understand the sincerity of my commitment to make amends,” wrote the rapper on X, referring to his apologies for his past behaviour. “I take full responsibility for what’s mine but I don’t want to put my fans in the middle of it.”
Núñez was seeking to prevent West from performing in the city of Marseille on 11 June because of his anti-Semitic remarks. By Tuesday, the question was already being raised after an aside by the regional prefect, Jacques Witkowski, who, during a meeting with the press, said he_was “_very interested”, in conjunction with the minister, in Kanye West’s appearance at the Velodrome.
West, 48, has been heavily criticised for his anti-Semitic comments.
Last week, the UK banned the American rapper from entering the country because of his controversial comments, prompting the organisers of the Wireless Festival, which he was due to headline, to cancel the event scheduled for July.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer had previously described West’s visit as “deeply worrying”.
In May 2025, the rapper released a song entitled ‘Heil Hitler’, a few months after putting swastika T-shirts for sale on his website.
The song was banned by the major streaming platforms. West later expressed his regrets, explaining his behaviour by his bipolar disorder.
The American rapper has not performed in Europe for 12 years. He had announced seven dates in Europe, including Madrid, Istanbul and Arnhem in the Netherlands. Of these, Marseille is the only French city.
The announcement of this concert in France on 4 March provoked outrage from political and public figures such as Fabienne Bendayan, Honorary President of the Conseil Représentatif des Institutions Juives de France (Crif).
The mayor of Marseille, Benoit Payan, said at the time on social networks that the singer was “not welcome” at the Velodrome. “I refuse to allow Marseille to be a showcase for those who promote hatred and outright Nazism,” he declared (source in French).
In the midst of the municipal election campaign, the right-wing had also expressed its opposition to the concert. Fabienne Bendayan, a candidate on Martine Vassal’s list and former president of Crif Provence, posted on X : “Anyone who openly proclaims his admiration for Hitler and claims to hold Nazi ideas cannot set foot on the stage of a city whose very soul is woven of diversity, memory and fraternity”.
Additional sources • AFP, La Provence