Update: American social network Parler gives up on being bought out by Kanye West
The social network Parler announced Thursday that it has given up on being bought out by rapper and entrepreneur Kanye West, embroiled in a series of controversies and accused of anti-Semitism.
The man who officially changed his name to Ye last year made a bid for the popular conservative platform in October, motivated, he said, by a desire to defend freedom of expression.
Rapper Kanye West, increasingly isolated following his recent anti-Semitic remarks, went a little deeper Thursday when confessing his admiration for Hitler and the Nazis during an interview with a conspiratorial American presenter.
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In a bizarre appearance, the artist, who now calls himself Ye and wore a black hood covering his entire face, launched into a tirade regarding sin, pornography and the devil.
“I also see positive things regarding Hitler,” said the rapper, on the set of the show “Infowars” by far-right conspirator Alex Jones.
“This guy (…) invented the highways, invented the microphone that I use as a musician. We can’t say publicly that this person has done anything good, and I’ve had enough, ”added Kanye West.
The rapper, who claims to have bipolar disorder and recently suggested he might run for President of the United States in 2024, doubled down on the provocation, prompting shocked laughter from his host.
“I’m tired of labels, every human being has brought something of value, especially Hitler,” he insisted. “I love Hitler.”
“The Nazis were thugs and did very bad things,” tried to correct the presenter Alex Jones, recently sentenced to pay nearly a billion dollars for having denied the reality of a massacre in a school.
“But they did good things too,” the rapper retorted. “We have to stop insulting the Nazis all the time. (…) I love the Nazis.”
Stuck in a series of controversies, Kanye West has been dropped in recent weeks 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 with former US President Donald Trump.
His remarks immediately sparked a deluge of condemnation from many personalities on social networks.
In a statement, the Republican Jewish Coalition denounced Kanye West as a “vile and repugnant cultist who targeted the Jewish community with Nazi-like threats and libel.”
“The conservatives who made the mistake of tolerating Kanye West must be clear that he is an outcast,” added this organization close to the Republican Party.
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