Kanye West news – Biden says ‘silence is complicity’ as Elon Musk suspends rapper for posting swastika

As it happened - Kanye West’s shocking antisemitic tirade and comments on Adolf Hitler

Kanye West releases 2024 campaign video after meeting with Trump

President Joe Biden and prominent US officials have condemned recent remarks from the rapper formerly known as Kanye West after his latest antisemitic tirade, Holocaust denialism and praise for Adolf Hitler and Nazis.

“Instead of giving it a platform, our political leaders should be calling out and rejecting antisemitism wherever it hides,” the president shared on the office’s Twitter account. “Silence is complicity.”

Elon Musk suspended the rapper from the platform after Ye shared an image of a swastika within the Star of David. He shared the offensive image on Thursday night just hours after he professed “I like Hitler” and “I am a Nazi” while joining far-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones on on his InfoWars programme.

“I tried my best,” Mr Musk said. “Despite that, he again violated our rule against incitement to violence. Account will be suspended.”

He also wrote “FAFO” – short for “F*** Around and Find Out.”

Key Points

• ‘I like Hitler’: Kanye West praises Nazi during Alex Jones interview
• Kanye West suspended from Twitter after posting swastika inside Star of David
• Hate speech is rising on Elon Musk’s Twitter, report finds
• Joe Biden says ‘silence’ against antisemitism 'is complicity’
• Who is Nick Fuentes?

[1 December 2022 18:35 · Graeme Massie]

Kanye West says ‘I like Hitler’ on Infowars

Rapper responded to host Alex Jones saying he did not like Adolf Hitler or Nazis during Thursday’s interview.

[1 December 2022 18:40 · Graeme Massie]

American writer Touré brands Kanye West ‘disgusting’ over comments

“This isn’t about mental illness. Stop defending Kanye or having sympathy for him because he’s bipolar or something. HIs virulent and repeated antisemitism isn’t tied to that. This is who he is. And it’s disgusting,” the cultural critic tweeted.

[1 December 2022 18:55 · Graeme Massie]

Comedian Jon Stewart reacts to Kanye West’s Hitler comments

“Oy,” the former host of The Daily Show, who is Jewish, tweeted on Thursday following West’s interview with Alex Jones.

[1 December 2022 20:15 · Josh Marcus]

‘When are we going to say ENOUGH?’: Lawmaker slams Kanye West’s comments

Lawmakers are condemning Kanye West’s continued antisemitic tear, including the rapper’s most recent offence, praising Hitler on Infowars.

“When are we going to say ENOUGH?” tweeted Congressman Ritchie Torres, a Democrat from New York, wrote on Thursday.

[1 December 2022 21:20 · Josh Marcus]

House Judiciary Committee Republicans delete “Kanye. Elon. Trump.” tweet after West’s praise of Hitler

The Twitter account for the Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee deleted a tweet that said “Kanye. Elon. Trump.” after rapper Kanye West praised Adolf Hitler.

The Judiciary Republicans tweeted the first names of Mr West, Tesla executive Elon Musk and former president Donald Trump on 6 October of this year. But that was before Mr West began tweeting antisemitic remarks, including saying he wanted to go “death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE.”

But Matt Gertz of Media Matters tweeted on Thursday that the tweet was taken down amid Mr West, who now goes by the name Ye, appearing on conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’s show and praising the late Nazi leader.

“You’re not Hitler, you’re not a Nazi, so you don’t deserve to be demonised,” Mr Jones said. In response, Mr West praised Mr Hitler. Throughout the interview, Mr West wore a face-covering.

Eric Garcia has more.

[1 December 2022 21:58 · Josh Marcus]

Podcaster who interviewed Ye says Hitler praise ‘breaks my heart’

Lex Fridman, a research scientist who sat down with Kanye West recently for a lengthy interview amid the rapper’s continued antisemitism scandals, says Ye has finally gone too far.

“Ye praising Hitler breaks my heart,” Mr Fridman wrote on Twitter on Thursday, after West celebrated the genocidal German leader in a Thursday appearance on Infowars.

[1 December 2022 22:45 · Graeme Massie]

Kanye West no longer buying conservative social media app Parler

“In response to numerous media inquiries, Parlement Technologies would like to confirm that the company has mutually agreed with Ye to terminate the intent of sale of Parler. This decision was made in the interest of both parties in mid-November,” the company said on Twitter.

[1 December 2022 22:58 · Josh Marcus]

Pence says Trump was ‘wrong’ and showed ‘profoundly poor judgement’ by dining with Kanye West and Nick Fuentes

Donald Trump was “wrong” and showed “profoundly poor judgement” for meeting last week at Mar-a-Lago with outspoken antisemites like rapper and fashion designer Kanye West and right-wing media figure Nick Fuentes, according to former vice-president Mike Pence.

“President Trump was wrong to give a white nationalist, an antisemite, and a Holocaust denier a seat at the table,” Mr Pence said in an interview on NewsNation on Monday.

“I think he should apologise for it, and I think he should denounce those individuals and their hateful rhetoric without qualification.”

Mr Trump’s former No 2 defended the ex-president from accusations of antisemitism, pointing out how Mr Trump’s daughter Ivanka converted to Judaism when she married Jared Kushner.

Read our full story.

[1 December 2022 23:15 · Graeme Massie]

Kanye West is not buying social media platform Parler after all

Parler announced a deal in October that would ‘change the world’. After Ye’s antisemitic rant praising Nazis, the platform announced the agreement was mutually terminated.

Alex Woodward has the story.

[2 December 2022 00:02 · Graeme Massie]

‘I like Hitler’: Kanye West praises Nazi during Alex Jones interview

ICYMI: Kanye West admitted “I like Hitler” as the disgraced rapper and Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes were interviewed by right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones on Infowars.