‘No room for antisemitism’: Prague mayor quashes rumored Kanye West concert

The Federation of Jewish Communities in the Czech Republic (FŽO) said that for 2023 it documented 4,328 antisemitic incidents, showing a 90 percent jump from the 2,277 incidents found in 2022.

By David Swindle, The Algemeiner

In the Czech Republic, local officials have pushed back against a potential Ye concert in Prague following the cancellation of a July show near Bratislava, refusing to grant permission for the rapper formerly known as Kanye West to perform his music, including potentially recent tracks such as “Heil Hitler.”

“There is no request to organize such a concert, and if we were asked, we would not approve it,” said Prague Mayor Bohuslav Svoboda.

He told Heyfomo.cz that “there is no room for antisemitism in Prague.”

Deputy Mayor Jiří Pospíšil added that the city “is not the place to celebrate Nazism.”

He described himself as “strongly against Kanye West performing in Prague,” explaining how “we experienced firsthand the horrors of the Second World War, and we must not give room to people who glorify these crimes.”

A petition and open letter to Svoboda launched on Wednesday has received more than 14,000 supporters.

“Kanye West is abusing his media influence to normalize the language and symbols of the evil of war, which Europe, including the Czech Republic, has long rejected,” the letter states.

“It is unacceptable that Prague provides space for his performance – not for musical expression, but for dangerous public attitudes that are in direct conflict with European historical memory and democratic values.”

The letter also points to “possible serious security risks” and notes that “an event of this type may attract radical and extremist groups from the Czech Republic and abroad. Given the public stance of the performer, there is a legitimate concern about the appearance of Nazi symbolism, violent behavior or the spread of ideologies that are unacceptable in a democratic society and criminal in the Czech Republic.”

The petitioners also argued that a Ye performance could break the law, violating a statute prohibiting “movements aimed at suppressing human rights and freedoms is a criminal offense, including the use of symbols, slogans or expressions of sympathy.”

Signatories of the letter included nonprofit leaders, lawyers, human rights experts, artists, attorneys, journalists, and scholars.

On Feb. 25, the European Jewish Congress reported that Czech police had investigated 40 percent more antisemitic hate crimes in 2024 compared to 2023, a total of 30 incidents of hate speech.

“In 2022, we dealt with 23 cases of antisemitic hate speech, 18 in 2023, and 30 in 2024,” said Czech Police spokesperson Ondřej Moravčík.

“We are still in close contact with operators and owners of Jewish sites and carry out increased surveillance activities there.”

The Federation of Jewish Communities in the Czech Republic (FŽO) said that for 2023 it documented 4,328 antisemitic incidents, showing a 90 percent jump from the 2,277 incidents found in 2022.

The group said that “in the Czech Republic, as in other countries, there is an insufficient level of reporting hate crimes, often due to stigma, distrust in institutions, or concerns about personal safety.”

For the 2023 incidents, FŽO saw a spike (almost 42 percent of the year’s total) from October through December, following the Hamas terror group’s Oct. 7 invasion of and massacre across southern Israel.

According to the Anti-Defamation League’s Global 100 survey of antisemitic attitudes by country, research into the Czech Republic shows elevated levels of bigotry against Jews (support for at least 6 stereotypes) in 15 percent of adults — 1.3 million people — ranking the nation as the eleventh least antisemitic on the planet.

Ye has faced similar consequences in other countries for his decision to promote Nazism through his music, public appearances, TV ads, and even in the merchandise he hawks on his website.

On July 2, Australia’s Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke announced the cancellation of the hip hop mogul’s visa, preventing future visits with his Australian wife Bianca Censori’s family in Melbourne.

“We have enough problems in this country already without deliberately importing bigotry,” Burke said.

“In Whose Name?,” a documentary featuring Ye, will be released on Sept. 19. The film’s director, Nico Ballesteros, began shooting the project six years ago at age 18 when West gave him what The Hollywood Reporter described on Wednesday as “unfettered access to his life, breakdowns and inner circle,” yielding more than 3,000 hours of footage.

“For a shy kid, the camera became both a shield and a window, a way to channel my introspection while still engaging with the world,” Ballesteros said.

“Ye has always had someone filming him too, a lens between him and the noise. Maybe that’s why we understood each other without saying much. I was able to fade into the background, stay present, the camera always rolling, catching moments outside the public performance.”