JAKARTA - After receiving such sharp public scrutiny in recent days, the prestigious music festival in England, Wireless Festival, was officially declared canceled.
The decision was made after British security authorities through the Home Office withdrew the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) permit of their main headliner, Kanye West.
The British government's decisive move is the long-term fallout from a series of anti-Semitic statements made by the rapper in recent years, which are considered incompatible with the values of security and public order in the Kingdom of King Charles.
The organizers of the Wireless Festival confirmed in their official statement that the ban on the rapper, who is familiarly called Ye, was the main cause of the failure of this year's event.
The withdrawal of Ye's entry permit makes it impossible for the festival to continue both logistically and morally. Moreover, public and political pressure is increasing after Prime Minister Keir Starmer publicly expressed his disappointment at Ye's appointment as the main performer since the announcement of the lineup.
"Home Office has withdrawn YE's ETA, which means he is banned from entering the UK. As a result, the Wireless Festival was canceled and a full refund will be given to all ticket holders," said an official statement from the organizers, quoted by Variety, Wednesday, April 8.
"As with every Wireless Festival, all parties concerned were consulted before making a schedule reservation for YE, and at that time there were no outstanding concerns," he continued.
Although Ye had attempted reconciliation through a full-page apology in the Wall Street Journal in January and an offer to discuss with the Jewish community in the UK, it was not enough to soften the government's policy.
The organizers also stated unequivocally their support for humanitarian values in the midst of this storm of criticism.
"Antisemitism in all its forms is abhorrent, and we recognize the real and personal impact these issues have. As Ye said today, he recognizes that words alone are not enough, and yet he still hopes to be given the opportunity to start a conversation with the Jewish community in the UK," the organizers added.
Prior to this cancellation, Melvin Benn, Managing Director of Festival Republic - the promoter behind Wireless - was able to try to defend Ye by referring to mental health aspects.
Benn stated that he is a forgiving person after often dealing with difficult behavior from people who struggle with mental issues.
"I have witnessed many episodes of reprehensible behavior that I have had to forgive and go through. If before, no, now I have become a forgiving and hopeful person in all aspects of my life, including work," said Benn.
However, the defense was actually weaker than the British national security policy which eventually chose to close the door to the megastar in order to avoid an escalation of hatred in the community.
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