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Kanye West’s planned concert in Poland in June has been cancelled – the latest setback in a number of European countries that are banning the rapper from performing because of his anti-Semitic comments and glorification of Nazism.
West was controversially booked to headline all three nights of London’s Wireless Festival until British authorities refused his visa and the festival was subsequently canceled. He was also scheduled to perform in Marseille in June, which he postponed due to headwinds and an impending entry ban.
A concert on June 19th in Chorzów, Poland, was also on the program – but the organizers announced on Friday (April 17th) that the show would not take place. “We would like to inform you that the Ye (Kanye West) concert scheduled for June 19, 2026 at Śląski Stadium will not take place for formal and legal reasons,” stadium director Adam Strzyżewski said in a statement (according to Reuters).
Minister of Culture takes the floor
Poland’s Culture Minister Marta Cienkowska wrote on social media about the planned performance: “In a country marked by the history of the Holocaust, we cannot pretend that this is just entertainment. Artistic freedom does not mean giving everyone a free pass. Culture must not be a space for those who abuse it to spread hate.”
Cienkowska continued: “We are talking about an artist who publicly expressed anti-Semitic views, trivialized crimes and made a profit by selling T-shirts with swastikas. These are not ‘controversies’. This is a deliberate crossing of boundaries and the normalization of hate.”
A spokesman for West did not immediately respond to ROLLING STONE’s request for comment. West himself has not yet commented on the cancellation in Poland.
West’s reaction to Marseille
After the French performance was postponed, the rapper said: “After careful consideration, I have personally decided to postpone my show in Marseille until further notice. I know that it takes time to understand the sincerity of my desire to make amends. I take full responsibility for what I am accused of, but I do not want to drag my fans into the middle of it. My fans mean everything to me.”
West launched an apology offensive for his past behavior in January with a full-page ad in the Wall Street Journal. “Once again, I owe a huge apology for everything I said that hurt the Jewish and Black communities in particular,” it said. “This has all gone too far.” The ad paved the way for his album “Bully,” which was released in March. Despite his controversial behavior, he sold out two stadium shows in Los Angeles and his album debuted at number two on the Billboard 200.
