Kanye West’s “bigoted rants” linked to 30 anti-semitic incidents in US, say Anti-Defamation League

Kanye West‘s anti-semitic remarks are linked to 30 different hate incidents in the US, according to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).

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The Anti-Defamation League – an international Jewish non-governmental, anti-hate organisation – released a report yesterday (February 13) that referred to 30 anti-semitic incidents that directly referenced the rapper’s comments about Jewish people.

“These incidents — which include vandalism, banner drops, targeted harassment and campus propaganda distributions — demonstrate the ongoing influence of Ye’s conspiratorial, bigoted rants,” the ADL wrote in the report.

It continued that “immediately following Ye’s antisemitic comments” which included “inflammatory tropes about Jewish power and Holocaust denial”, the slogan ‘Ye is Right’ surfaced online in hashtags and anti-semitic accounts.

“The ADL Center on Extremism has also tracked references to “Ye is Right” in instances of on-the-ground antisemitic vandalism and harassment nationwide,” it continued.

“These incidents – only some of which are perpetrated by known extremists – demonstrate how references to Ye, often paired with swastikas or other antisemitic slurs, have become mainstream shorthand for the hatred of – or a desire to commit violence against – Jewish people.”

In a statement to Billboard, ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said: “Kanye West’s repeated antisemitic remarks – and his dredging up some of the worst anti-Jewish tropes imaginable – doubtlessly are having an impact and inspiring people to commit real-world acts of hate.

“As we have long maintained, celebrities and others who engage in spreading hateful tropes need to know their words have consequences. Unfortunately, Kanye’s decision to continue to peddle hatred against Jews is only giving encouragement to people who are already infected with hate.”

West’s spate of anti-semitic comments began when he tweeted that he was going to go “death con 3 [sic] On JEWISH PEOPLE” back in October.

The rapper was recently declared ‘Antisemite Of The Year’ by the watchdog group StopAntisemitism, and has been widely condemned by many figures in the entertainment world, as well as several political figures and organisations that represent Jewish communities.

In December, reports also emerged that Kanye West-inspired neo-Nazi merchandise had surfaced online.

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