Berliner Tageblatt - Kanye West row erupts in Reggio Emilia over July fest appearance (3)

(ANSA) - ROME, APR 7 - A row has erupted in Reggio Emilia over Kanye West heading a festival there in July after his entry to the UK was revoked due to antisemitic remarks he has apologised for and attributed to a bipolar episode. After the United Kingdom on Tuesday revoked the entry permit for the American rapper, who had been invited to perform at London's Wireless Festival this summer, controversy has erupted in the Emilian city, where the artist is scheduled to perform on July 18 at the RCF Arena Campovolo—a week after his effectively canceled UK date—as part of the Helwatt Festival, where he is the headliner. The CISL (Italian Union of Workers' Unions) Emilia Centrale has intervened. "What the ANPI (Italian Partisans Association, ed.) of Reggio Emilia said last December was absolutely right, and it's essentially what British Prime Minister Starmer and London Mayor Khan are saying today," said the local branch of the Italian trade union, Italy's second biggest. "Rapper Ye claims he's changed, that he wants to play for peace and love, not the swastika and anti-Semitism, but the question remains: does showbiz matter more than constitutional values?" commented union rep Rosamaria Papaleo. The representative then asked: "Can the strict no that was given in London also apply in Reggio Emilia?" Papaleo then appealed to Reggio Emilia's mayor, Marco Massari, to have the rapper meet with the Jewish community. "We agree with what the Reggio Emilia National Association of Partisans (ANPI) once said about culture, which cannot be neutral when it conflicts with the values ;;of anti-fascism, solidarity, and respect for human dignity. "And we propose to the mayor, should Ye's Italian date be confirmed, to firmly request that Ye meet, if those directly involved so desire, with those who promote the application of constitutional and anti-fascist values ;;and those who represent the long-scorned Jewish community. "This would be the only way to demonstrate that a bad teacher has truly become a positive ambassador, capable of putting his fame and influence to good use." (ANSA).

G.Schulte--BTB