Italian authorities have barred Kanye West and Travis Scott concerts from going ahead, citing concerns about public order and security.
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Per BBC News, Prefect Salvatore Angieri announced on Friday (May 29) that both gigs, which were set to take place in the northern city of Reggio Emilia in July, would not take place, following a request from the local Jewish community to cancel them.
The rapper, who now goes by Ye, had been due to perform alongside Scott on a multi-artist line-up including The Chainsmokers, Rita Ora, and Swedish House Mafia, with officials saying several factors weighed on the decision.
The regional prefecture said in a statement that several factors had weighed on their decision, including the “cancellation of previous concerts by the American rapper in other countries” as well as the “real risk of counter-demonstrations”.
They went on to say that both gigs coming in quick succession – on July 17 and 18 at Reggio Emilia’s RFC Arena – and the large crowds they were expected to attract were also a cause for concern. The venue has a capacity of 103,000 spectators, which would have marked one of Ye’s biggest arena appearances ever.
As for Scott, he faced intense scrutiny after 10 people, aged nine to 27, died during his Astroworld festival in Houston in 2021, with thousands more injured when a deadly crowd crush occurred during his headline performance.
News of the double cancellation comes after Ye’s booking to headline all three nights of London’s Wireless Festival sparked an enormous backlash over his previous anti-Semitic comments.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer was among those to criticise the slot, several sponsors cut their ties with the festival, and the UK Home Office ultimately blocked Ye from being allowed into the country, while Wireless eventually announced that they had cancelled their entire 2026 event.
Since then, shows in Switzerland, Poland and France have also been cancelled, although a handful will go ahead, including one in Albania and two recently confirmed gigs in the Netherlands.
Meanwhile, on Saturday night (May 30), Ye kicked off his summer tour with a massive concert at Istanbul’s Atatürk Olympic Stadium. The trek has been marred by continued backlash in the wake of anti-Semitic comments made by the ‘Bully’ artist in recent years.
The rapper shared a fresh apology for some of his previous remarks shortly before Wireless was axed, and later addressed the criticism in an update to his Wall Street Journal “to those I’ve hurt” letter, which he originally shared in January.
Kanye West apologizes for antisemitism in new letter published through The Wall Street Journal:
“I am not a Nazi or an antisemite. I love Jewish people” pic.twitter.com/gZ1E7YyJPa
— Pop Base (@PopBase) January 26, 2026
West’s history of making antisemitic remarks dates back to 2022, when he made a series of offensive comments on social media. Those comments saw his accounts on both Instagram and Twitter suspended, and the musician was dropped by his lawyer, talent agency and record label, along with fashion brands such as Balenciaga and Adidas.
At first, West gave several interviews, refusing to apologise for making the comments while suggesting that Jewish people should “forgive Hitler”. However, in 2023, West delivered an apology to the Jewish community, going on to blame alcohol for his behaviour the following year.
In the wake of that initial apology, numerous lawsuits were filed against the rapper with claims of extensive antisemitic behaviour. One former employee alleged that the rapper said Jewish people were “working together to hold him back”.
Another former employee claimed he used antisemitic language in the workplace and praised Hitler – something for which he allegedly paid a settlement for. In 2024, a separate ex-employee accused him of being openly antisemitic in front of his staff.
West also shared a number of highly controversial posts in early 2025, when he took back an apology he previously made to the Jewish community for antisemitic remarks, and then declared himself “a Nazi”. The rapper then claimed on X/Twitter that, “after further reflection”, he’d “come to the realisation that I’m not a Nazi”, followed only a few days later by yet more swastika apparel appearing on his X page.
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