A public stadium shouldn’t host rapper and producer Kanye West, U.S. Sen. Rick Scott said Thursday.
In a letter to the Tampa Sports Authority, the government organization that operates Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Scott urged the authority board to “carefully review this decision” of hosting the rapper, for shows June 26 and 28.
“West’s remarks are vile and a slap in the face to our state’s Jewish community. It is troubling that a stadium supported by taxpayer dollars would openly subsidize an event led by an artist known for pushing this dangerous, hateful rhetoric, especially with Florida having one of the largest Jewish populations in our country,” Scott, a Republican and former two-term governor of the state, wrote in a letter Thursday.
Despite Scott’s call to cancel the show it appears all of the lights will remain on for the Grammy winner who has performed less in recent years following controversy.
“We recognize the concerns and viewpoints being expressed about the upcoming events at Raymond James Stadium. As a public agency, we follow the principles of free speech in operating our venue, although we do not condone remarks or actions from any artists that are offensive and divisive,” the Tampa Sports Authority told the Phoenix in an email Thursday.
Other big recording artists such as Bruno Mars, Chris Stapleton, Ed Sheeran, and Post Malone are scheduled to perform at the stadium this year.
Remarks
In recent years, West posted critical messages of Jewish people to social media, including in 2022 when he said he was “going death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE.” The messages he posted to X and Instagram were often removed by the platform or himself.
The rapper, who legally changed his name to Ye in 2021, lost his deal with Adidas in 2022, which, according to Forbes, was $1.5 billion of his net worth.
“Kanye West’s consistent antisemitic attacks are an affront to the values of the people of the Hillsborough community. He has openly praised Nazis, called himself one, and slandered Jews across the world,” Scott wrote.
Scott alleges that the controversial rapper’s “outbursts and hate have helped to mainstream antisemitism.”
Earlier this year, the rapper took out an advertisement in the Wall Street Journal apologizing for his anti-semitic statements, saying he regrets his actions, including selling shirts with swastikas on them, and highlighted his experience with bipolar disorder and recovery from a brain injury he sustained earlier in life.
Some countries have prohibited West’s shows from going on.
–Jay Waagmeester, Florida Phoenix
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