By Tim Dickinson
When Kanye West launched his anti-Semitic smear campaign late last year, his hatred went viral on the internet. There, word spread of Ye, as West was nicknamed, threatening Jewish people, proclaiming his “love” for Nazis and insisting it was time for Jews to “forgive Hitler.” This hatred soon made its way onto campuses, fueling hateful people who attacked Jewish people in grocery stores and parks.
The latest Anti-Defamation League (ADL) report, released on February 13, listed dozens of acts of vandalism, harassment and intimidation – all organized under the slogan “Ye is right”. “Kanye West’s repeated anti-Semitic statements — and his embracing of some of the worst anti-Semitic stereotypes imaginable — lure people into committing hate crimes,” said Jonathan Greenblatt, executive director of the ADL.
Hate on the web and in the real world
The organization documented that the reach of those who caught Yes Hate online was enormous. Tweets related to the slogan “Ye is Right” reached almost five million users of the platform. The rise of West’s hateful ideology on Twitter coincided with Elon Musk’s takeover of the social network. The ADL also noted that the beginning of the Musk era saw an increase in anti-Semitic content and a decrease in the moderation of hate speech online.
In turn, Ye Is Right’s off-web reach has taken various forms: The ADL report documented a spate of vandalism across the United States. Kanye-inspired graffiti included “Def con III” scrawled on a Wisconsin university sidewalk, the words “Kanye West is right” and “Kill All Jews” scrawled on the wall of a California high school restroom , a swastika and “I love Kanye” at a Florida high school, and “Kanye is Right” on the welcome sign at an Orthodox synagogue in New York.
The Anti-Defamation League also cataloged harassment, such as at a Jewish-owned restaurant in Los Angeles. A fake customer called to order the “Kanye special” before adding, “Death to all Jews.” In Michigan, a man harassed Jewish families outside a synagogue with anti-Semitic slogans such as “Kanye was right.”
Violence even broke out: a Jewish man was beaten up in Central Park by an attacker who yelled “Fuck you Jew!” and “Kanye 2024!” In Maryland, a Jewish man was attacked in a grocery store by a group shouting “Do it for Kanye!”
Right wing groups are taking over Kanye
In addition to these one-off incidents, the Anti-Defamation League found that West’s rhetoric has seeped into organized groups: In January, groypers — as supporters of White Nationalist leader and Kanye confidante Nick Fuentes call themselves — organized a series of “Ye is right, change my mind” campaigns at universities in Florida and Alabama. In these actions, two Groypers sat in front of a “Ye Is Right” banner and “debate” with students while spreading hateful rhetoric about Jews.
Last October, the right-wing group Goyim Defense League hung a banner on a Los Angeles freeway overpass that read, “Bend your horn if you know Kanye’s right about the Jews.” Two months later, members of a white supremacist organization boarded a plane wearing Burger King crowns that read “White Power” and “Ye is Right.” A neo-Nazi group in Idaho distributed anti-Semitic conspiracy theories and propaganda that read “Kanye West is right about the Jews.”
West has kept a relatively low profile since being banned from Twitter for posting a hybrid symbol of a swastika and Star of David. However, his political advisory staff hasn’t stopped talking about the rapper’s possible presidential nomination in 2024.
Greenblatt warns that West’s hold on the national discourse is sinister and could get worse. “Kanye’s decision to continue peddling hatred against Jews only encourages people who are already infected with hate,” he said. He also emphasized that “words have consequences”.
Translated from the American, first published on rollingstone.com