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London music festival canceled after UK bars Kanye West’s entry amid pressure from Jewish groups
(JTA) — London’s Wireless Festival has been canceled after the British government denied entry to Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, following mounting pressure from Jewish groups over his history of antisemitic remarks.
The organizers of the popular three-day festival confirmed its cancellation in a statement to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, writing that the British government had withdrawn the artist’s electronic travel authorization, denying him entry into the United Kingdom.
“Multiple stakeholders were consulted in advance of booking YE and no concerns were highlighted at the time,” said the festival, which had earlier defended its booking by saying Ye “had the legal right to perform” in the United Kingdom.
“Antisemitism in all its forms is abhorrent, and we recognise the real and personal impact these issues have had,” the statement continued. “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.”
While Ye had previously been granted permission to enter the country, his electronic travel authorization was later withdrawn on the grounds that his presence in the U.K. would not be “conducive to the public good,” according to the BBC.
The cancellation of Ye’s slated appearance in London came as the festival faced a wave of rescinded sponsorships as well as criticism from Prime Minister Keir Starmer over its headliner, who has previously vowed to go “death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE” and released a song last year titled “Heil Hitler.”
Prior to the revocation of Ye’s travel authorization, the artist said that he would be “grateful for the opportunity to meet with members of the Jewish community in the U.K. in person, to listen.”
Ye, who has previously apologized for his antisemitic rhetoric, added, “I know words aren’t enough. I’ll have to show change through my actions. If you’re open, I’m here.”
British Jewish groups that called for Ye’s entry permit to be revoked cheered the decision.
Phil Rosenberg, the president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, welcomed the government’s decision in a statement, adding that it was “deeply regrettable that Wireless Festival invited him in the first place and then doubled down when the Jewish community and our allies objected.”
“We hope that lessons are learned across the music industry. Music festivals should be places where all communities feel welcome, not venues that platform individuals with records of profiteering from antisemitism, racism and other repulsive views.”
The Campaign Against Antisemitism, a British antisemitism watchdog, took aim at the festival’s statement announcing the cancellation.
“It’s nice that now Wireless is saying ‘Antisemitism in all its forms is abhorrent’ when just a few hours ago the festival promoter was saying we all need to forgive Kanye for declaring himself a full-blown Nazi only recently,” the group wrote in a post on X. “There are plenty of musicians in the world who could have headlined this festival and brought delight to thousands of fans. Maybe next time organisers should look beyond Nuremberg to fill their roster.”
This article originally appeared on JTA.org.
The post London music festival canceled after UK bars Kanye West’s entry amid pressure from Jewish groups appeared first on The Forward.
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The Forward publishes exclusive interview with Columbia protest leader Mahmoud Khalil
New York — April 7, 2026 — Today, the Forward, the nation’s leading Jewish news organization, published an exclusive, in-depth interview with Mahmoud Khalil, the Columbia University protest leader whose arrest during last year’s campus demonstrations thrust him into the national spotlight.
In a candid and wide-ranging conversation with Arno Rosenfeld, an enterprise reporter and author of the Forward’s Antisemitism Decoded newsletter, Khalil critiqued Hamas and said it had come to power through collaboration with Israel, explained his “nuanced” view of Zionism and detailed his vision for a “free Palestine” that includes the Jewish citizens of Israel.
“I was glad to have the opportunity to drill down on specifics that have been widely speculated upon but not addressed in Khalil’s previous interviews,” said Rosenfeld. “He wanted to speak directly to a major Jewish audience.”
The interview offers rare insight into one of the most scrutinized figures to emerge from the campus protest movement, drawing on original reporting, Khalil’s past public statements, and interviews with current and former Columbia students.
The post The Forward publishes exclusive interview with Columbia protest leader Mahmoud Khalil appeared first on The Forward.
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US Hits Military Targets on Iran’s Kharg Island, Vance Says No Change to Strategy
US Vice President JD Vance delivers remarks at the Wilshire Federal Building in Los Angeles, California, US, June 20, 2025. Phone: REUTERS/Daniel Cole
US strikes on Iran’s Kharg Island do not represent a change in American strategy, US Vice President JD Vance said on Tuesday as a US official separately told Reuters the additional strikes on military targets did not impact oil infrastructure.
The official, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity, described at least some of the strikes as targeting sites that had been previously struck before and said the attack occurred in the early morning hours of Tuesday.
Vance, speaking separately in Budapest, said the strikes were not a change in US strategy, with the Trump administration confident that it can get a response from Iran by 8 pm (0001 Wednesday GMT) in negotiations to end the conflict. US President Donald Trump is demanding Iran forswear nuclear weapons and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a critical oil transit waterway.
“We were going to strike some military targets on Kharg Island, and I believe we have done so,” Vance said.
“We’re not going to strike energy and infrastructure targets until the Iranians either make a proposal that we can get behind or don’t make a proposal,” he added. “I don’t think the news in Kharg Island … represents a change in strategy, or represents any change from the President of the United States.”
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French Nationals Leave Iran After Three and a Half Years Amid Softer France Tone on War
A woman walks past posters with the portraits of Cecile Kohler and Jacques Paris, two French citizens held in Iran, on the day of support rallies to mark their three-year detention and to demand their release, in front of the National Assembly in Paris, France, May 7, 2025. The slogan reads “Freedom for Cecile Kohler and Jacques Paris.” Photo: REUTERS/Abdul Saboor
Two French nationals were heading home on Tuesday after Iran allowed them to leave the country following three and a half years in detention, a surprise move that came as Paris sought to distance itself from the war in the region.
Cecile Kohler and Jacques Paris had been confined to France‘s embassy in Tehran since November, after being held since 2022 in the notorious Evin prison on spying charges that France has said were unfounded.
“This is a relief for all of us and obviously for their families,” President Emmanuel Macron said in a post on X. “Thank you to the Omani authorities for their mediation efforts.”
Neither the French presidency nor the foreign ministry responded to requests for comment on what had been agreed between the two sides to ensure their release.
Iran‘s official news agency IRNA said the couple were freed following an understanding under which France would in turn release Mahdieh Esfandiari, an Iranian student living in the French city of Lyon, and withdraw a complaint against Iran at the International Court of Justice.
However, both assertions were unclear. Esfandiari, who was convicted at the end of February for glorifying terrorism in social media posts, was released after serving almost a year in prison but has appealed the conviction.
It was not clear whether she had left the country, as ordered by the February ruling. France dropped the ICJ complaint last September.
Iran‘s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi spoke with his French counterpart Jean-Noel Barrot on Sunday, confirming the pair’s imminent release.
Macron has criticized US President Donald Trump’s approach to the US-Israeli war on Iran and said France would only help restore freedom of navigation to the Strait of Hormuz once there is a ceasefire and after consultations with Tehran.
France last week refused Israel permission to transfer weapons through French airspace for the war and has led efforts to water down a draft UN Security Council resolution that could have opened the door to forceful action in the strait.
A French official briefing reporters after the release denied that France had a softer position towards Iran and said Paris had warned the Iranians about the safety of their citizens given the escalation in the war.
“I think the Iranians rightly considered that if anything happened to our compatriots, the reactions here would have been extremely catastrophic,” the official said, declining to comment on the details of the negotiation.
French officials have also refused to comment on why a container ship belonging to French shipping group CMA CGM was able to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, a sign that Iran may not consider France to be a hostile nation.