Slovakia petition attempts to stop Kanye West from headlining festival
Kanye West is set to headline the Rubicon Festival in Slovakia this summer. In response to the announcement, a petition has been launched to block him from performing altogether.
Last week, Ye was confirmed to perform at the Záhorská Bystrica festival in Bratislava for the weekend of July 18th-July 20th. It’s the rapper’s only performance scheduled for 2025 off the back of disturbing social media posts that include antisemitism, misogyny and ableism.
As a result, a letter has been sent to the mayor of the Záhorská Bystrica District, Jozef Krúpa, and the Bratislava mayor, Matúš Vallo.
“We are following with deep concern the announced performance of the American musician Ye (Kanye West) at the Rubicon Festival in Záhorská Bystrica, who in recent years has repeatedly and openly espoused the symbolism and ideology associated with the darkest period of modern world history – the period of World War II and the Nazi regime,” the petition began.
The petition pointed out that Slovakia was the only country giving Kanye the opportunity to perform on a big stage in front of thousands of people.
“It is unacceptable that Bratislava should be the only city in Europe that provides space for his performance – not because of his musical expression, but because of his dangerous public attitudes that are in direct conflict with European memory and historical responsibility,” it continued.
“The Kanye West concert in our city and in our country is an insult to historical memory, a glorification of war violence and a humiliation of all victims of the Nazi regime – including Holocaust survivors, Slovak soldiers, civilians, political prisoners, partisans and their families, members of the Jewish community in Bratislava.”
As of June 24th, 3,685 people had signed the petition, which aims to reach 5,000. Ye last performed in China and South Korea in 2024, with concerts in Taiwan and Italy previously cancelled.