Kanye West, Travis Scott's upcoming concerts banned in Italy
The upcoming concerts of Kanye West and Travis Scott in Italy have reportedly been banned by local governments due to safety and security concerns.
West was originally set to headline the Hellwat Festival that will be held at the RCF Arena in Reggio Emilia on July 18, while Scott was supposed to perform a day prior on July 17. With the venue having a capacity of 103,000 spectators, the organizers noted that it would have been one of West’s biggest arena appearances.
However, in a report by Variety, Reggio Emilia prefect Salvatore Angieri had ordered both concert shows to be cancelled following backlash from the city’s Jewish community, anti-fascist resistance groups, trade unions, and several politicians.
This stemmed from West’s history of antisemitic remarks and controversial behavior in recent years.
He had previously voiced admiration for Adolf Hitler and had released a song called Heil Hitler, which is a few months after advertising a swastika T-shirt for sale on his website.
According to Angieri, the decision to ban both concerts was influenced by several factors, including their back-to-back scheduling as well as the massive influx of concertgoers expected to arrive in Reggio Emilia within 24 hours. He also stressed the “concrete risk” of protests tied to West’s controversial public image.
Authorities also reportedly took into consideration the 2021 Astroworld Festival tragedy in Houston, where 10 people died following a crowd crush during Scott's performance.
Following the ban, the Hellwat Festival team announced that they will still push for West to perform in Italy on July 18 in another location near Reggio Emilia, but under a different jurisdiction.
West, who now goes by the name "Ye," has had several of his Gigs in the U.K., France, Switzerland, and Poland cancelled due to his behavior.