Rapper Kanye West, increasingly isolated following his recent anti-Semitic remarks, went deeper on Thursday with his admiring remarks for Hitler during a lunar interview and the announcement of the cancellation of the takeover of the social network Parler , which he coveted since his run-ins with other platforms.
During an ubiquitous appearance on the program “Infowars”, hosted by conspiratorial presenter Alex Jones, the artist, who now calls himself Ye and wore a black balaclava covering his entire face, launched into a tirade on sin, pornography and the devil.
“I love Hitler”, launched the star several times.
Far from calming things down following his anti-Semitic remarks which prompted many brands, including the German giant Adidas, to cut ties with him, the rapper added another layer, triggering a deluge of condemnations on social networks.
In the process, Parler’s parent company, Parliament Technologies, announced that it was giving up on being bought out by the rap titan. A decision “taken in mid-November”, assured the company at the helm of this social network, very popular with ultra-conservatives for its defense of almost unlimited freedom of expression.
Kanye West initially announced his desire to buy Parler, following recent anti-Semitic comments made him a persona non grata in the business world and earned him deletions from his posts on Instagram and Twitter.
“I love Nazis,” says Kanye West
On the set of “Infowars” Thursday, the 45-year-old rapper, who says he suffers from bipolar disorder and recently suggested he might run for president of the United States in 2024, redoubled his provocation.
“I see positive things regarding Hitler too,” he said. “This guy…invented the highways, invented the microphone that I use as a musician. You can’t publicly say that this person did anything good, and I’m sick of it.”
“I’m sick of labels, every human being has contributed something of value, especially Hitler,” he insisted, prompting shocked laughter from his host, far-right conspirator Alex Jones .
“The Nazis were thugs and did very bad things,” tried to correct Mr. Jones, recently sentenced to pay nearly a billion dollars for denying the reality of a killing in a school.
“But they did good things too,” the rapper retorted. “We have to stop insulting Nazis all the time. (…) I love Nazis.”
In recent weeks, several members of his former professional entourage had denounced to the American media the fascination of Kanye West for Hitler.
“Infamous and repugnant”, denounces the Republican Jewish Coalition
Stuck in a series of controversies, Kanye West was dropped by the brands with which he collaborated. The sports equipment manufacturer Adidas notably cut ties with the rapper at the end of October because of remarks deemed anti-Semitic.
The ready-to-wear chain Gap and the fashion house Balenciaga have also turned their backs on him. In early October, the rapper displayed the slogan “White Lives Matter” during a parade in Paris, hijacking the name of the anti-racist movement “Black Lives Matter”.
On set Thursday, he appeared alongside white supremacist Nick Fuentes, with whom he attended a highly controversial dinner this week at the home of former US President Donald Trump.
Beyond the ire provoked on social networks, this new rapper scandal prompted the Republican Jewish Coalition to directly challenge his political friends on Thursday.
Close to the “Grand Old Party”, the organization, which recently received many Republican Party figures in Las Vegas, denounced Kanye West as a “vile and repugnant bigot who has targeted the Jewish community with threats and defamation worthy of the Nazis.
“Conservatives who made the mistake of tolerating Kanye West need to be clear that he is an outcast,” she added.
Kanye West’s Twitter account suspended for ‘inciting violence’, Musk says
Twitter suspended American rapper Kanye West’s account on Friday for “inciting violence” following posting an image of a swastika intertwined with a Star of David, social network boss Elon Musk said.
“Just to clarify that his account has been suspended for incitement to violence,” said Mr. Musk, in response to the image posted by the rapper, increasingly isolated following his recent anti-Semitic remarks and his displayed admiration for Hitler .
Kanye West had also shared a photo of a shirtless Elon Musk being doused with water, which was captioned: “Always remember this as my last tweet”.
Twitter’s suspension came following an exchange between the two men that the rapper later went public with.
“Sorry but you went too far, that’s not love,” the Twitter boss wrote in a private message. West responded by challenging Elon Musk: ‘who made you the judge’?
The publication of the image associating the symbols of the Nazi regime and Judaism adds to the many provocations of the singer who have already pushed many brands to cut ties with him.
The 45-year-old rapper, who says he suffers from bipolar disorder and now goes by the name Ye, caused a scandal once more on Thursday by confiding his love for Hitler and the Nazis during an interview on a show.
After this new tirade, the social network Parler, which he had coveted since his troubles with other platforms, announced that he had to give up being redeemed by the fallen star.
The company at the controls of this social network, very popular with ultra-conservatives for its defense of almost unlimited freedom of expression, said it had made this decision in mid-November.