The British Home Office said earlier on Tuesday that Kanye West applied digitally on Monday for an entry permit, a so-called ETA, and that his application had been rejected.
The reason was that his presence in the country "would not benefit the public," according to the BBC. Later that day, the organizer announced that the festival would be canceled altogether and that those who bought tickets would receive their money back.
Kanye West's booking of a three-night performance at the London music festival in July has caused quite a stir. The artist has made increasingly harsh anti-Semitic statements in recent years, even releasing a song titled "Heil Hitler."
As early as 2022, major brands such as Adidas, Balenciaga and Gap cut ties with Kanye West, and his career has suffered.
To add fuel to the fire, Kanye West offered to meet with representatives of Jewish organisations in London ahead of the festival. Some Jewish groups agreed to meet with him and discuss his anti-Semitic statements, NME reported.
That included the largest British Jewish organisation, the Board of Deputies of British Jews, which said it would be happy to meet the artist "as part of his penance, but only on the condition that he does not play at the Wireless Festival this year."
