US rapper Kanye West, whose concerts have previously been banned in several European venues due to antisemitic remarks, has been cleared to perform two concerts in the Netherlands this June.
The 48-year-old artist, who also goes by “Ye,” has previously drawn widespread condemnation for antisemitic rants and statements glorifying Nazi leader Adolf Hitler, outbursts he later attributed to his bipolar disorder and for which he has since apologized on several occasions.
The permit for the upcoming June concerts was granted by the mayor of Arnhem despite what he described as “reprehensible statements made by the artist in the past.”
While a majority of the Dutch House of Representatives had actively called for the rapper to be denied entry into the country, the Asylum and Migration Minister stated there were no formal legal grounds to bar him from entering.
West is currently scheduled to perform in Arnhem on June 6 and June 8, with the latter date coinciding with his birthday.