Recommendations of the Editorial team
Kanye West is allowed to enter the Netherlands and there perform as part of his upcoming European tour.
According to Reuters, after examining the case, the Dutch authorities found no evidence that would justify an entry ban.
“It takes solid reasons to deny someone entry. We didn’t find them in our analyses,” Deputy Prime Minister Bart van den Brink told Reuters. “His previous statements are currently no reason to deny him entry.”
Two shows in Arnhem
West, who calls himself Ye, is scheduled for two concerts in the Netherlands – both at the GelreDome Arena in Arnhem. The first will take place on June 6th and the second will take place on June 8th, which is also West’s 49th birthday.
The Netherlands stop opens his highly anticipated European tour, which has been plagued by ongoing headwinds from authorities in several European countries – sparked by the Chicago native’s anti-Semitic comments and actions in recent years.
In 2022, the rapper hit the headlines after he repeatedly made anti-Semitic comments – including posts on social networks in which he praised dictator Adolf Hitler.
Apologies and further scandal
West then lost several partnerships and collaborations, including with Adidas, Balenciaga and Vogue. Instead of backtracking, he stepped up – and even published a song called “Heil Hitler” in 2025, another confession of Hitler and Nazi ideology.
In January 2026, Ye apologized for his controversial statements and behavior in a full-page ad in the Wall Street Journal. He blamed his mental health as a result of bipolar type 1 disorder. The gesture was met with mixed reactions – critics pointed to repeated gaffes despite previous expressions of remorse.
The news of the Netherlands appearance comes a day before West’s concert in Istanbul, which organizer Erdem Karahan is touting as a potential record number of visitors for the country. The show is scheduled for Saturday at Istanbul’s Ataturk Olympic Stadium; By Friday, over 75,000 tickets had already been sold. Karahan told Turkish media that 99,000 visitors would break the previous record.
Travis Scott and North West as guests?
Karahan also hinted that West’s longtime collaborator Travis Scott, as well as West’s daughter North, might take the stage. Local acts will appear as supporting acts.
West was refused entry to the UK in April and his scheduled appearance at the Wireless Festival was canceled. That same month, a concert in France was postponed following protests from the mayor of Marseille, and a performance in Poland was canceled – fueling speculation about how the entry bans would affect West’s career in the long term and whether other countries would follow suit.
The European tour program also includes performances in Tirana, Albania on July 11th; in Reggio Emilia, Italy on July 18th and in Prague on July 25th.
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Why does Campino think that sometimes it’s good to just keep your mouth shut? Why does he sometimes feel like a drinks delivery man? He provides the answer in our cover story about the Toten Hosen’s big farewell, exclusively in issue 06/26. And that’s not all: the magazine includes the world exclusive 7-inch single “Always just loved” – on which Sven Regener from Element of Crime also contributed. You can easily order the ROLLING STONE edition here.
