Despite his big comebacks in places like Turkey, some places don’t want Kanye West performing in their area. They often point towards him inciting some potentially problematic issues, especially with past anti-Semitic rhetoric in songs and rants. What if he performs a deeply terrible and offensive song like “Heil Hitler”?
So far, that hasn’t been a problem, mostly churning out his hits and new, safe songs from his album Bully. But places like France and England are halting any issues before they can even potentially take place. Now, we can add Tampa, Florida, to the list. Ahead of a massive pair of performances at Raymond James Stadium on June 26th and 28th, three organizations are speaking out against Kanye West.
The Tampa Jewish Federation, the Florida Holocaust Museum, and the Florida chapter of the National Organization for Women have all written statements opposing Ye’s pair of concerts. Holocaust Museum president Eric Stillman wasn’t convinced about the apology he gave in the Wall Street Journal.
“To say he was sorry and to say it was based on a manic episode and not to take any actions after that, to demonstrate that this was a sincere change of heart, is really what is so hard for the members of the Jewish community in Tampa, and throughout the region and throughout the world to take that as sincere,” Stillman said.
Kanye West Is Facing Pushback for Upcoming Performances in Tampa, Florida
The Florida NOW Vice President Debbie Deland argued that the Ye apology flat-out doesn’t make sense. You don’t just change what you believe on a whim through a sudden apology. Given the measures he went to consistently, she isn’t behind the new disposition. “It’s been a consistent pattern of hate speech and Nazism,” Deland said. “You don’t just turn that over.”
This adds to Florida Senator Rick Scott’s firm belief that the Tampa Sports Authority should seriously think about hosting Kanye West. Since Raymond James Stadium is a “publicly owned venue”, taxpayers shouldn’t pay to have someone with such hateful views performing.
“Kanye West’s consistent antisemitic attacks are an affront to the values of the people of the Hillsborough community. He has openly praised Nazis, called himself one, and slandered Jews across the world,” Scott wrote of Kanye West. “It is troubling that a stadium supported by taxpayer dollars would openly subsidize an event led by an artist known for pushing this dangerous, hateful rhetoric. No taxpayer dollars should be used to give a vocal antisemite a stage in Florida.”
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