Kanye West Postpones French Concert In Face Of Possible Government Ban

Kanye West has postponed a concert in the French port city of Marseille in June following news that France was studying options for banning the event due to his past antisemitic outbursts and pro-Nazi declarations.

The music artist, who now goes by the name of Ye, posted his decision on X on Tuesday night following reports of the French potential ban.

“After much thought and consideration, it is my sole decision to postpone my show in Marseille, France until further notice,” he wrote.

The move comes just one week after the UK government banned West from entering the country due to his antisemitic hate speech, effectively cancelling plans for him to headline London’s Wireless Festival in July.

The backlash against West dates back to historic antisemitic comments which hit a peak in 2025 when he sold $20 shirts with swastikas and used X to post a series of antisemitic posts, including declaring himself to be a Nazi.

In the runup to releasing new music and getting back on the concert scene this year, West took out in an ad in The Wall Street Journal in January apologizing for his behavior to the Jewish and Black communities putting it down to mental health issues.

The public apology has done little reassure Jewish communities around the world, who say it will take more than a newspaper ad for the artist to atone. The U.S. Anti-Defamation League responded at the time that West’s “long overdue” apology did not “automatically undo his long history of antisemitism”. 

In a second post on Tuesday night, West appeared to acknowledge the challenge he faces.

“I know it takes time to understand the sincerity of my commitment to make amends I take full responsibility for what’s mine but I don’t want to put my fans in the middle of it My fans are everything to me Looking forward to the next shows See you at the top of the globe,” he wrote.

West had been due to perform on June 11 at the Vélodrome stadium in Marseille, but news broke on Tuesday that French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez was studying ways “all possibilities” to stop the concert.

The mayor of Marseille, Benoît Payan, had previously declared his opposition to West’s performance on social media in late March saying West was not welcome and that he refused to allow the city “to be a showcase for those who promote hatred and unashamed Nazism.

Elsewhere in Europe, West is also due to perform in the Netherlands on June 6 and 8 at the GelreDome Stadium in Arnhem, as well as in Madrid at the end of July. These performances have been maintained for now.

Back in the U.S., West’s first live performances in five years at the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles in early April drew between 60,000 to 80,000 people a night and reportedly earned $33M between them, leaving music and concert organizer execs in a conundrum over how to move on next with the artist.