Slovakia Petition Urges Canceling Kanye West Rubicon Festival Performance

Kanye West, legally known as Ye, is scheduled to headline the Rubicon Festival in Bratislava, Slovakia, in July 2025, marking his only confirmed European performance this year. His planned appearance has sparked significant outrage, leading to a petition signed by over 3,500 people, including groups like Peace for Ukraine and Cities for Democracy, demanding the cancellation of his performance due to his promotion of Nazi symbols and ideology. West's release of the song 'Heil Hitler' on the 80th anniversary of Nazi Germany's defeat, which sampled an Adolf Hitler speech and was banned in Germany, has intensified these concerns. Petitioners describe West as one of the world's most prominent antisemites and warn that hosting him could attract extremist groups and glorify wartime violence, which they deem an insult to historic memory and victims of the Nazi regime. Despite the controversy, festival organizers defend West as a "hip-hop visionary, cultural icon, and controversial genius." West's public support of controversial figures and his increasingly antisemitic rhetoric have contributed to the backlash against his festival appearance.