The newly branded social media site X, formerly known as Twitter, reinstated the account of rapper and fashion mogul Kanye West on Saturday, months after he was banned for a series of antisemitic posts.
Elon Musk suspended Ye, as West is also known, from the social media platform weeks after purchasing it last October. At the time, Musk branded Ye’s post of a swastika interlaced with a Star of David as “incitement to violence.”
Also, this past October, CNN cited several people with ties to West as saying the rapper and fashion mogul had long been “fascinated by Adolf Hitler.” No fewer than four people alleged that Ye originally wished to name his 2018 album “Hitler.”
The same month, in an interview on Fox News‘ “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” Ye accused Trump’s Jewish son-in-law Jared Kushner of brokering the Abraham Accords solely because of his and his family’s interest in “making money.”
Days later, Ye tweeted, “I’m a bit sleepy tonight but when I wake up I’m going death con 3 on Jewish People.” He added, “The funny thing is I actually can’t be antisemitic because black people are actually Jew [sic] also you guys have toyed with me and tried to black ball anyone whoever opposes your agenda.”
In a subsequent interview with Chris Cuomo, Ye spoke about the “Jewish underground media mafia” and said his “death con 3″ remarks were prompted by “Jewish record labels” that not only “take control” of publishing but of the culture itself.
“It’s like modern-day slavery,” said Ye.
In November, Ye took Holocaust denier and white supremacist Nick Fuentes to Mar-a-Lago in Florida to meet former President Donald Trump. Fuentes, 24, is a leading figure on the far-right known for radically offensive views on women, Jews and minorities. He has a history of denying the Holocaust, praising Hitler and making racist remarks about black Americans.
Weeks later, Ye pushed Holocaust denial in an interview with Fuentes on “InfoWars” with Alex Jones. “Hitler has a lot of redeeming qualities”, said Ye, “and that he loves Nazis.” He also repeatedly brought out a small net and “Yoo-hoo” chocolate milk to mock Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
In December, Watchdog group StopAntisemitism named Ye as the “2022 Antisemite of the Year.”
Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, tweeted that it was “absolutely sickening that antisemite Kanye West was unsuspended from Twitter/X and given a gold verification check mark. He’s done absolutely nothing to make amends.”
Added Greenblatt: “I believe in counsel culture not cancel culture — but this approach only works when the offender demonstrates some measure of contrition and an openness to learn. We’ve seen zero from Kanye.
The Wall Street Journal reported this weekend that Ye has promised X to not share antisemitic content or harmful language, and will not be permitted to monetize his account.
As of Sunday morning, Ye had not posted new content.
Produced in association with Jewish News Syndicate
Edited by Priscilla Jepchumba and Judy J. Rotich
