Netherlands investigating whether to block Kanye West’s entry ahead of June concert
The Dutch government is investigating whether it can ban Ye from entering the country. The controversial American rapper formerly known as Kanye West is performing in the GelreDome Arnhem on June 6, but a large part of parliament wants to deny him entry to the Netherlands.
Asylum Minister Bart van den Brink is looking into whether there are grounds to deny Ye entry to the Netherlands, Minister David van Weel of Justice and Security said on Tuesday, NU.nl reports. Earlier this month, Van den Brink said there were no legal grounds to do so.
“I do have to issue a warning,” Van Weel added. “We have a fairly high threshold in the Netherlands before we can deny someone entry. There must be a threat of a disruption of public order or safety.”
Ye has been controversial for years due to his antisemitic statements. Among other things, he has called himself a Nazi and released a song last year titled Heil Hitler.
Ye's performances in the United Kingdom, France, Poland, and Switzerland have already been canceled or postponed because the rapper is not welcome there. The U.K denied Ye entry to the country, and France is investigating options to do so.
Earlier this week, the Amsterdam debate center De Balie revealed that the government denied entry to a Russian artist and former political prisoner because the immigration service worried that he would apply for asylum here. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, therefore, wouldn’t grant artist Pavel Krisevich a visa. He was scheduled to speak about his work in De Balie on Thursday.
