France’s Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez is “highly determined” to prevent Kanye West from performing at Marseille’s Stade Vélodrome on June 11, a source close to the minister told AFP on Tuesday.
The minister is exploring “all possibilities” to cancel the show, citing the American rapper’s repeated antisemitic and racist remarks in recent years.
West, who now goes by Ye, has faced widespread backlash, losing major commercial contracts and fans after a string of controversial statements, including praise of Adolf Hitler and antisemitic tropes.
The move comes after Marseille Mayor Benoît Payan publicly declared in March that West was “not welcome” in the city. It also follows the UK government’s decision last week to bar West from entering Britain for the Wireless Festival, forcing organisers to cancel the event.
A source close to Nuñez said the government is determined to use every legal tool available to protect public order and combat antisemitism. No final decision has been announced, but French authorities are reviewing anti-discrimination laws and concert licensing rules.
West’s European tour has sparked protests and political scrutiny across the continent. Organisers of the Marseille date have not yet commented on the minister’s intervention.