London’s Wireless Festival has been cancelled.
The organisation announced on Instagram following news that Kanye West has been banned from entering the United Kingdom by the Home Office.
“We regret to inform you that Wireless Festival London will no longer be taking place this year. Following the recent news regarding entry restrictions placed on scheduled talent by the Home Office, we have determined that we cannot deliver the experience our fans deserve,” the post read.
The managing director of the festival’s organiser, Festival Republic, told the BBC Kanye West’s visa to enter the UK had been “issued in the last few days”.
“He has a visa already issued to appear, to come into the country, and the home secretary may well rescind that today; I don’t know,” Melvin Benn told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
“If she [Shabana Mahmood] does, she does, and then the issue is over in terms of his appearance.”
Hours later, as we now know, the government decided to ban West from entering the UK.
The announcement comes on the heels of a massive controversy involving the festival’s planned headliner, Kanye West (Ye) and his antisemitic comments.
The Jewish Leadership Council had earlier condemned Wireless Festival for booking Kanye West, also known as Ye, to headline all three nights of the forthcoming North London event in the wake of heightened attacks on the UK Jewish community, calling the organisers “deeply irresponsible”.
