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<\/p>\nU.S. Sen. Rick Scott has written to the Tampa Sports Authority urging the board to cancel this month\u2019s concerts by the artist formerly known as Kanye West at Raymond James Stadium.<\/p>\n
In a letter, Scott referred to Ye\u2019s history of antisemitic rhetoric and questioned allowing the hip-hop star to perform in a publicly funded facility.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt 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,\u201d Scott wrote.<\/p>\n
Tampa is the first and only U.S. stop on Ye\u2019s tour since playing at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles in April. Ticket demand for the original date of June 26 was strong enough that a second show was scheduled.<\/p>\n
Since L.A., the Ye Live Concert Tour has been overseas, where it played before more than 100,000 fans last week in Istanbul. However, it has faced strong resistance in Europe, including numerous government interventions and cancellation over the rapper\u2019s antisemitic statements and a track titled \u201cHeil Hitler.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Jordan Strauss\/Invision<\/p>\n
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AP<\/p>\n
Kanye West appears at the 67th annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on Feb. 2, 2025.<\/p>\n
The contentious backdrop appears to be following the 48-year-old rapper to Tampa.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo taxpayer dollars should be used to give a vocal antisemite a stage in Florida, and I am sure that you will take appropriate action to make sure that doesn\u2019t happen,\u201d Scott wrote.<\/p>\n
He added that the sports authority should “carefully review this decision” of staging the shows in the county-owned facility. <\/p>\n
The authority, which operates the Raymond James Stadium, responded with a statement that offered no indication the performances were in jeopardy.<\/p>\n
ALSO READ: Ye banned from entering U.K. over antisemitism ahead of London shows<\/a><\/p>\n “We recognize the concerns and viewpoints being expressed about the upcoming events at Raymond James Stadium,\u201d the authority wrote. \u201cAs 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.”<\/p>\n The British government recently barred Ye from entering the country, where he was the scheduled headliner for the Wireless Festival in London. Ministries and stadium hosts in France, Switzerland, Italy and Poland also canceled performances, emphasizing that antisemitism cannot be dismissed entertainment in a region scarred by the Holocaust.<\/p>\n Some performances went on, including a concert with more than 100,000 fans in Istanbul. Two shows slated for a soccer stadium in the Netherlands this weekend will go on only because of the country\u2019s laws against censorship.<\/p>\n Among the most cited examples of Ye’s antisemitic statements was in an October 2022 tweet that said he would go \u201cdeath con 3 on Jewish people,\u201d which was widely condemned as echoing harmful conspiracy theories about Jewish influence and control.<\/p>\n He also drew intense backlash a month later during an interview with Alex Jones, in which he praised Adolf Hitler and said he \u201cliked Hitler.\u201d Around the same period, he shared Nazi-associated imagery and described himself as a Nazi, leading to suspensions on social media platforms and canceled partnerships and shows.<\/p>\n ALSO READ: Rays’ stadium proposal feels pinch of state property tax vote, Bucs’ renovations<\/a><\/p>\n