Kanye West to play Istanbul show on May 30 / Photo: © AFP
-
Far-Right Extremists Claim Opportunity to Seize Control of GOP After Midterms
-
Japanese-Born Professor Attributes Rise in Korea-Japan Marriages to K-Drama Influence and Affectionate Behavior
-
New Campaign Highlights Knowledge Gaps on Carbon Monoxide Safety Among Americans
-
Economist Testifies Canada Has Limited Power to Alter Global Climate
-
JR East Launches 'teppay' to Integrate Suica Balance with Mobile Payments
-
Dublin Band Aslan Headlines Our Lady’s Hospice Light Up A Life Ceremony
-
Phil Spencer on Housing Market Fairness: How Buyers and Sellers Navigate Falling Prices
-
UAE Cabinet Approves Up to Dh350,000 in Disaster Relief for Citizens
-
Beirut Cinema Festival Draws Thousands Despite War Fatigue
-
Korea's Severe Asthma Patients Blocked from Biologics by Restrictive Reimbursement Rules
-
AMD Forecasts First-Ever Revenue Lead Over Intel on AI Chip Surge
-
COP31: Ana Toni Outlines Fossil Fuel Transition Roadmap Ahead of Climate Talks
-
GoodData.AI Launches the Agentic Serving Plane, a New Category of Enterprise Data Infrastructure for AI Agents
-
Securitas Healthcare Introduces a New Era of RTLS Built for the Future of Healthcare Operations
-
Abu Dhabi Demand Response Project Achieves 401 MW Peak Reduction in 2025
-
First-time boat buyers advised to assess full ownership costs
-
Panthers expected to begin 2027 NRL season away from new stadium
Kanye West to play Istanbul show on May 30
US rapper Kanye West, whose concerts have been banned in several European venues over controversial antisemitic remarks, will appear in Istanbul on May 30, organisers said.
The 48-year-old, also known as "Ye", has sparked widespread anger over remarks glorifying Nazi leader Adolf Hitler and for antisemitic rants which he has blamed on having bipolar disorder.
US rapper Travis Scott is also expected to play at Saturday's event at Istanbul's Ataturk Olympic stadium, organiser Erdem Karahan of ILS Vision told Anadolu state news agency on Tuesday.
Around 120,000 fans are expected to attend the festival-style event, with the city laying on 100 free buses to get people home, CNN Turk reported.
West's extreme statements and actions -- last year he released a song called "Heil Hitler" with swastika t-shirts advertised on his website -- caused a backlash against his planned European tour.
In April, the British government banned him from entering the country to headline a festival, forcing organisers to cancel the event.
A week later, he postponed a concert in Marseille following reports France's interior minister was seeking to block the performance.
A Polish stadium cancelled a West concert scheduled for June 19, with the culture minister saying Poland wanted to bar him over his "promotion of Nazism".
Later, Swiss football club FC Basel told AFP they had turned down an approach about hosting a West concert.
In January, West took out an advert in the Wall Street Journal to defend himself, saying: "I am not a Nazi or an antisemite" and "I love Jewish people".
He attributed his behaviour to a "manic episode" brought on by bipolar disorder.
He is to perform in the Netherlands on June 6 and 8, in the Albanian capital Tirana on July 11, and in Prague on July 25.
E.Schubert--BTB
