Brussels, Belgium – 3 December 2022
The European Union of Jewish Students (EUJS) is appalled and horrified by Kanye West’s latest comments where he spewed antisemitic remarks and glorified Adolf Hitler.
On December 1, Kanye West, also known as Ye, and Nick Fuentes, an ardent Shoah-denier and antisemite, appeared together on the television program Infowars hosted by the disgraced far-right, conspiratorial radio show host Alex Jones. Over the course of the interview, Ye repeatedly praised Hitler and the Nazi party claiming that he “loves” Nazis, “likes” Hitler and that Nazis have done “good things”. The interview was preceded by months of antisemitic remarks from Ye, including on Twitter, in an interview with Tucker Carlson, on the Drink Champs podcast and beyond.
Shortly after his interview with Alex Jones aired, in an attempt to seemingly promote his 2024 United States Presidential Election run, Ye tweeted a photo of a Star of David merged with a swastika. Subsequently, he was removed from Twitter.
Nevertheless, Ye’s comments are not to be underestimated nor ignored. He is setting a dangerous precedent and civil society as well as decision makers must not turn a blind eye.
Ye had 32 million followers on Twitter alone. The risk that he poses by speaking to his millions of followers who look to him for inspiration cannot be overstated. He is using his massive media presence and social influence to spread antisemitic tropes about Jewish control and power. He is attempting to mainstream these hateful stereotypes and to normalise Nazi glorification.
Furthermore, his public and unabashed praise for a man responsible for the deaths of millions of innocent people, for the genocide of the Jewish people and the systematic murder of other minorities including Roma, Sinti, and LGBTQ+ people is abasing and painful to any marginalized group, anyone believing in democratic values and poses a consequent danger to free societies.
We call on all streaming and social media platforms, including Spotify and Youtube, to permanently remove Ye (Kanye West) and any of his affiliated accounts from their sites. Furthermore, we call on all platforms, including Twitter and Meta, to remove all content in which Ye’s hateful comments can be rewatched. Social media platforms must be a safe space for all and free from incitement and hate.
Words matter.
Words have power.
Words have consequences.
