Français
Español
English
Portuguese
“No taxpayer dollars should be used to give a vocal antisemite a stage in Florida,” said Sen. Rick Scott.
Kanye West, the rapper and fashion designer also known as Ye, is scheduled to perform two concerts in Florida at Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium.
The shows are scheduled for Friday, June 26, and Sunday, June 28.
For several years, Ye has been promoting virulent antisemitism.
Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) is urging the Tampa Sports Authority Board of Directors not to allow West to perform at the publicly owned venue.
“Kanye West’s consistent antisemitic attacks are an affront to the values of the people of the Hillsborough community,” Scott wrote in a letter sent on Thursday. “He has openly praised Nazis, called himself one and slandered Jews across the world.”
“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,” he wrote.
“Kanye West tragically evolved over the years into an artist who spewed hateful antisemitism,” Luis Viera, a member of the Tampa City Council, concurred. “I have been personally saddened by his descent. In an age of rampant and accepted bigotry, Tampa stands tall against shameful hate and antisemitism.”
Years of Antisemitic Outrages
In late 2022, West posted a series of shockingly antisemitic statements on social media, including that he was ready to “go Death Con 3 on Jewish people,” in an apparent reference to the U.S.’s DEFCON missile alert preparedness system.
In an Instagram post, he claimed that rapper and producer Sean “Puffy” Combs was controlled by Jews and blamed “Jewish Zionists” for unfavorable media coverage of his breakup with ex-wife Kim Kardashian.
In an interview with Fox News’ Tucker Carlson around the same time, Ye claimed that Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and adviser, brokered the Abraham Accords, which normalized relations between Israel and several Arab states, in order “to make money.”
He also implied that Blacks are the real Jews. “When I say Jew, I mean the 12 lost tribes of Judah, the blood of Christ, who the people known as the race Black really are. This is who our people are,” he told Carlson.
Adidas, the largest sportswear manufacturer in Europe and the second-largest in the world, joined other companies at the time in ending its partnership with West over his antisemitic remarks.
“Adidas does not tolerate antisemitism and any other sort of hate speech,” the company said in a statement. “Ye’s recent comments and actions have been unacceptable, hateful and dangerous, and they violate the company’s values of diversity and inclusion, mutual respect and fairness.”
According to Forbes, West’s net worth sunk from $2 billion to $400 million that month after he was dropped by Adidas, among others.
‘Heil Hitler’
In November 2022, in conversation with conspiracy theorist Alex Jones of the far-right Infowars site, West praised Adolf Hitler effusively.
“Well, I see good things about Hitler also,” West said, alongside Holocaust-denier and white supremacist Nick Fuentes.
“I love everyone, and the Jewish people are not going to tell me ‘You can love us and you can love what we are doing to you with the contracts, and you can love what we are pushing with the pornography’ – but this guy that invented highways, invented the very microphone that I use as a musician, you can’t say out loud that this person never did anything good, and I am done with that.
“Every human being has something of value that they brought to the table, especially Hitler,” he said.
That same month, CNN reported that West had wanted to name his 2018 album “Hitler.”
In February 2025, West used a Super Bowl commercial to advertise t-shirts he was selling on his website featuring a swastika.
In May 2025, West released the controversial song “Heil Hitler.” The track, which included samples of a 1935 speech by Hitler, premiered alongside a music video on the social media platform X that featured men in military-style formation. It was subsequently removed from major streaming platforms.
In July 2025, Australia’s Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said the government had canceled West’s visa.
“He’s been coming to Australia for a long time,” Burke said. “He’s got family here. And he’s made a lot of offensive comments that my officials looked at again once he released the ‘Heil Hitler’ song, and he no longer has a valid visa in Australia. We have enough problems in this country already without deliberately importing bigotry.”
In August 2025, officials of the Czech Republic pushed back against a potential West concert in Prague in the fall following the cancellation of a July show near Bratislava.
“There is no request to organize such a concert, and if we were asked, we would not approve it,” Prague Mayor Bohuslav Svoboda stated.
This year, on Jan. 26, West took out a full-page ad in The Wall Street Journal apologizing for his past antisemitic behavior, claiming it was due to a mental health disorder.
Nevertheless, shows in Britain, France, Poland and Switzerland were canceled or blocked.
In Istanbul just over a week ago, however, he drew a record-breaking crowd of 118,000 fans. And on Saturday night, tens of thousands flocked to his performance in the Netherlands. Dutch authorities said there were no legal grounds to stop him from entering the country for scheduled concerts.
“No taxpayer dollars should be used to give a vocal antisemite a stage in Florida,” said Sen. Rick Scott. “Take appropriate action to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
Please support Scott’s campaign to prevent West from taking the stage in Florida!
Contact:
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis: GovernorRon.DeSantis@eog.myflorida.com
Patrick Mangeiga, chair, Tampa Sports Authority: Pmanteiga1@gmail.com
Tampa Mayor Jane Castor: https://www.tampa.gov/mayor/contact
Blaise Ingoglia, Chief Financial Officer of Florida: https://www.myfloridacfo.com/about/meet-the-cfo
Sample text:
Kanye West’s vicious antisemitic attacks, including praise for Adolph Hitler, are not merely offensive; they promote antisemitism and, consequently, violence against the Jewish community.
As noted by Sen. Rick Scott, 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.
I urge you to do the right thing by canceling West’s performances at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, on June 26 and June 28.
Do You Love Israel? Make a Donation - Show Your Support!
Donate to vital charities that help protect Israeli citizens and inspire millions around the world to support Israel too!
Now more than ever, Israel needs your help to fight and win the war -- including on the battlefield of public opinion.
Antisemitism, anti-Israel bias and boycotts are out of control. Israel's enemies are inciting terror and violence against innocent Israelis and Jews around the world. Help us fight back!
