Italian authorities have blocked a planned Kanye West concert in the city of Reggio Emilia, citing concerns about public safety and the potential for unrest.

The decision was announced Friday by Prefect Salvatore Angieri, who said that permits would not be granted for the two major concerts that had been scheduled on consecutive days in July at the northern Italian venue.

The move followed a formal request from members of the local Jewish community, who urged officials to cancel West’s appearance.

Nicoletta Uzzielli, who heads the region’s Jewish community, had pressed local leaders to replace the performance with an event that would bring “music back to the forefront as a universally unifying force.”

West, who now performs under the name Ye, has faced widespread criticism in recent years over a series of antisemitic remarks and expressions of support for Nazi ideology.

In 2022, the rapper threatened to go “death con 3 on the Jews” in an apparent antisemitic rant on X, which was then called Twitter. West followed this up by claiming that he can’t be antisemitic “because black people are actually Jew.”

His controversies continued last year when he purchased a Super Bowl advertisement promoting T-shirts bearing swastikas and later released a song titled “Heil Hitler.”

West later apologized for his conduct, saying his actions stemmed from manic episodes associated with bipolar disorder.

Most recently, authorities in both the United Kingdom and Poland barred him from entering those countries because of his past antisemitic statements.

In its explanation for denying approval, the regional prefecture cited multiple concerns. Officials pointed to the “cancellation of previous concerts by the American rapper in other countries and the real risk of counter-demonstrations.”

{Matzav.com}