Kanye West says he doesn’t believe in the term “anti-Semitism”: “It’s not factual”

Kanye West has said that he doesn’t believe in the term “anti-Semitism”, claiming that it’s “not factual” and in turn has denied accusations of racism against him.

• READ MORE: With his “White Lives Matter” stunt, has Kanye West finally hit the point of no return?

The rapper’s comments come after a tumultuous few weeks which began when he wore a “White Lives Matter” T-shirt at a Paris fashion week show.

Since then he’s sparked multiple controversies including claiming that George Floyd died by taking Fentanyl.

Before that Ye said that he would go “death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE”, whom he claims have a link with Black people (“I actually can’t be Anti Semitic because Black people are actually Jew also,” he wrote). An ex-staffer at TMZ has also claimed that the rapper once praised “Hitler and the Nazis” during an interview with the site.

.@ChrisCuomo counters Ye's antisemitc comments: "I know you are intelligent and understand that when you target people because of their faith, other people may do so the same… We don't want to tolerate that.#CUOMO pic.twitter.com/mdTem0TXau

— NewsNation (@NewsNation) October 18, 2022

Over the weekend West hit out at Pete Davidson on the Drink Champs podcast in which he alleged that the former boyfriend of his ex-wife Kim Kardashian was a heroin addict. Ye’s unverified claims were made without evidence. Davidson has not yet publicly responded to Ye’s allegations.

The billionaire rapper and entrepreneur’s controversial interview with the podcast has since been removed from YouTube and Revolt after co-host N.O.R.E admitted “regret” for airing Ye’s comments.

Now, in Ye’s latest interview he has told NewsNation host Chris Cuomo that he can’t be labelled an anti-Semite because he doesn’t think anti-Semitism exists.

In the interview broadcasted yesterday (October 17) in which Cuomo and Ye also addressed reports that he’s planning to buy the ‘free speech’ platform Parler, the ex-CNN presenter brought up the rapper’s series of harmful comments about Jewish people.

“I don’t like the term antisemitic,” West said when pressed at the four minute and 30 second mark. “It’s been a term that’s allowed people, specifically in my industry, to get away with murder – sometimes literally – and get away with robbing and doing bad [to] people,” he said.

“You’re saying it’s anti-Semitic, but I don’t believe in that term. One thing is, Black people are also Jew. I classify as Jew also, so I actually can’t be an anti-Semite. So the term is actually, it’s not factual” [quotes transcribed by Complex].

When Cuomo interjected at one point, beginning to insist “you have to understand how”, West interrupted and added: “Everyone wants to shoot the messenger…but the thing is, the Jewish people that I’m talking about don’t have to understand. And that is that privilege that I’m not going to allow.”

He went on to say: “When I wore the ‘White Lives Matter’ T-shirt, the Jewish underground media mafia already started attacking me. They canceled my four SoFi Stadium shows, they had the press – the same people, the…outlets that when I was arguing with Pete Davidson and Trevor Noah, they called me an abuser for arguing with people about my ex-wife and my family, and when I get to see my kids and when I don’t.

“And they just immediately disrespect me, they keep the ‘crazy’ narrative going, they never call me a billionaire. We never talked about, even on this one right here, hey: tycoon, billionaire, visionary, inventor. These are never used.”

Cuomo clarified for West that “there is no Jewish media cabal mafia”.

Many artists, celebrities, politicians and organisations have publicly condemned West over his remarks including Jack Antonoff, John Legend, David Schwimmer, New York congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and ex-Israel prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Ye’s behaviour has led to commercial partnerships falling through or reportedly being put on hold, including those with the bank JPMorgan Chase and the sportswear brand Adidas.

He has also now had his social media accounts on Twitter and Instagram blocked.

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