Pepsi, Diageo and PayPal have all withdrawn their support of Wireless Festival following the announcement that Kanye West will headline this year’s event.
West, 48, is scheduled to perform at Finsbury Park in North London on 10, 11 and 12 July. The news has been met with widespread backlash.
In recent years, the rapper has publicly praised Adolf Hitler and his persecution of Jewish people during WWII. A swastika T-shirt was sold on his official website, and he later released a song titled ‘Heil Hitler‘.
West attempted to apologise in January, claiming his behaviour was caused by a four-month bipolar episode of “psychotic, paranoid and impulsive behaviour.” Many have rejected the explanation.
Pepsi was first to pull out on Sunday, followed within minutes by drinks giant Diageo, the company behind Johnnie Walker and Captain Morgan. PayPal confirmed its withdrawal the following day, stating its branding would not appear at Wireless for the foreseeable future.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer also weighed in, calling the booking “deeply concerning” and stating that “antisemitism in any form is abhorrent and must be confronted clearly and firmly.”
The Campaign Against Antisemitism is now urging the government to ban West from entering the UK entirely, citing laws that allow officials to deny entry to anyone whose presence is “not conducive to the public good.”
