As the year ends, anyone who caught a Ye headline in that time is likely reflecting on his actions. StopAntisemitism, a watchdog group, named Kanye West the “antisemite of the year” after 10,000 online votes. Moreover, the title comes as a result of his controversial statements on Jewish people, the media, and Nazi Germany. While he recently lost his honorary degree, it’s clear why many would give this title to the Chicago rapper.
In a statement to TMZ, the non-profit’s Executive Director Liora Rez elaborated on the dangers of Kanye’s rhetoric. Most recently, the former Adidas collaborator shared new music referencing the “Deathcon” tweet. Also, far-right commentator Alex Jones slammed his obsession with Hitler. As he continues to associate with harmful media figures and spew more misconceptions, groups like StopAntisemitism work to dispel them.
“Kanye uses his celebrity platform to push dangerous antisemitic tropes about Jews and power and he refuses to stop,” Rez told TMZ. “His continuous onslaught of bigoted statements has resulted in horrific antisemitic acts perpetrated by white supremacists, Black Hebrew Israelites, and other fringe groups looking to cause Jews harm.
“Jew hatred is already out of control in the United States,” she added. “The last thing we need is a celebrity like Kanye to add fuel to that fire.”
Unfortunately, Kanye’s “antisemite of the year” comments have caused more hateful actions against the Jewish community. For example, a group on an L.A. freeway held up a sign that read “Kanye is right about the Jews.” Later, demonstrators perpetrated hateful language and allegedly gave Nazi salutes.
At face value, Kanye has pushed back on some of that, albeit once confronted by Piers Morgan in particular. Moreover, he told the TV host that he only had ill will towards Jewish people who mistreated him in the industry. However, he followed such apologies with praise for Adolf Hitler and saying Jewish people should “forgive’ him. Then, he made these statements to many far-right figures, who have either since criticized them or fueled the bigoted fire. Either way, he’s not showing any sign of stopping, which only gets more dangerous.