Polish Stadium Cancels Kanye West Concert in Chorzów Over Antisemitic Comments

Kanye West, also known as Ye, had been scheduled to appear at Silesian Stadium in Chorzów, Poland on 19 June, but the venue announced the show would not take place, citing “formal and legal reasons.”

“The controversial American rapperKanye West, now legally known asYe, has suffereda new setback in their attempt to bring their tour to European soilAccording to local media reports and confirmations from the administration of the Slaski Stadium in Chorzów, the concert scheduled for June 19 has been formally canceled”

Aurora Israel

Reuters reported that the venue said on Friday it would now not take place “due to formal and legal reasons,” and BBC described the cancellation as the result of government pressure and condemnation over a string of antisemitic, racist and pro-Nazi comments by the US rapper.

Aurora Israel

Multiple outlets tied the decision to statements by Poland’s culture ministry, including Marta Cienkowska’s description of the booking as “unacceptable.”

The stadium’s director Adam Strzyzewski said in a press release that “We would like to inform you that the Ye (Kanye West) concert planned for 19 June 2026 at the… Slaski stadium will not take place due to formal and legal reasons,” according to People and Reuters.

Billboard similarly quoted the venue’s statement posted on the stadium’s Facebook page: “We would like to inform you that the Ye (Kanye West) concert planned for 19 June 2026 at the… Slaski stadium will not take place due to formal and legal reasons.”

In parallel, the cancellation was framed as part of a broader European pattern after West postponed a gig in France and after the UK banned him from entering to headline Wireless Festival, which was then cancelled.

West had also been scheduled to perform in Marseille in southern France as part of his European tour, but that show was postponed “until further notice,” according to BBC and People.

The cancellation in Poland followed a sequence of actions and statements tied to West’s past comments and promotional activity, with BBC tracing the controversy to his selling of swastika T-shirts and to the release of the track “Heil Hitler.”

BBC said that in February “West started selling swastika T-shirts,” prompting Shopify to take down his web store, and that “Three months later, he released the track Heil Hitler.”

BBC

BBC also reported that in January, prior to the announcement of his European tour and the release of his latest album, West apologized in a statement published as a full-page advert in the Wall Street Journal, writing, “I am not a Nazi or an antisemite,” and “I love Jewish people.”

Poland’s culture minister Marta Cienkowska described the booking as unacceptable and argued that the decision was not just about entertainment, writing on X that “We are talking about an artist who has publicly expressed antisemitic views, downplayed crimes, and profited from selling swastika T-shirts.”

Rolling Stone quoted Cienkowska’s broader argument that “In a country scarred by the history of the Holocaust, we cannot pretend that this is just entertainment,” and added that “Artistic freedom does not mean giving a free pass to everything.”

France and the UK were part of the same chain of setbacks, with BBC saying West postponed a gig in France and that “a week after the UK banned him from entering the country to headline Wireless Festival.”

People reported that West announced on X that the concert at the Orange Vélodrome in Marseille on June 11 would be postponed “until further notice,” and added that the UK Home Office ban led to Wireless Festival being forced to cancel.

Poland’s political leadership and the stadium’s management both spoke directly about the cancellation, while West’s representatives and the artist himself were largely absent from immediate comment.

“Ye’s (formerly Kanye West) upcoming concert in Chorzów, Poland, has been canceled”

Billboard

People reported that on Friday the director of the Silesian Stadium in Chorzów, Poland announced that the rapper’s concert scheduled for June would no longer take place, quoting Adam Strzyzewski: “We would like to inform you that the Ye (Kanye West) concert planned for 19 June 2026 ​at the... Slaski stadium will not take place due to ​formal and legal reasons.”

People also quoted Marta Cienkowska on X saying, “the decision to organize a Kanye West concert in Poland is unacceptable,” and she expanded that “These are not 'controversies.' This is a deliberate crossing of boundaries and the normalization of hatred.”

Rolling Stone carried the same condemnation, quoting Cienkowska’s line that “Artistic freedom does not mean giving a free pass to everything. Culture cannot be a space for those who exploit it to spread hatred.”

Billboard described the venue’s cancellation as coming shortly after West postponed his June show in France amid backlash from the country’s interior minister and the UK government’s ruling to deny Yeezy a travel visa, which led to the cancellation of London’s Wireless Fest.

In contrast, People said “A rep for West did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment,” and Rolling Stone said “A rep for West did not immediately respond to Rolling Stone‘s request for comment.”

West’s own words were present in the record through his earlier apology and his France postponement, including his Wall Street Journal statement: “I am not a Nazi or an antisemite,” and “I love Jewish people,” as reported by BBC.

While the cancellation itself was described consistently across outlets—centered on the June 19 date in Chorzów and the stadium’s statement about “formal and legal reasons”—the emphasis differed in how each publication connected the decision to the broader controversy.

BBC foregrounded government pressure and condemnation, saying the venue cancelled the show “following government pressure and condemnation over a string of antisemitic, racist and pro-Nazi comments,” and it placed the cancellation in a timeline that included the UK visa ban, a France postponement, and earlier controversies like the swastika T-shirts and “Heil Hitler.”

Complex

Complex and Consequence of Sound both described the cancellation as “officially been called off” and repeated the venue’s “formal and legal reasons” language, but Consequence of Sound added a direct quote from Cienkowska that “In a country scarred by the history of the Holocaust, we cannot pretend this is just entertainment.”

People and Rolling Stone emphasized Cienkowska’s argument about boundaries and normalization of hatred, with People quoting her that “These are not 'controversies.' This is a deliberate crossing of boundaries and the normalization of hatred,” and Rolling Stone quoting her that “Culture cannot be a space for those who exploit it to spread hatred.”

Forbes framed the cancellation as “after government backlash over antisemitism,” and it tied the decision to the culture minister’s condemnation and her view that West’s past antisemitic remarks should disqualify him from performing in a nation “scarred by the history of the Holocaust.”

France 24 (AFP) and TVP World (Reuters) both described the venue’s cancellation as following condemnation of antisemitic remarks, with France 24 quoting the culture ministry’s position that West’s actions were “in manifest contradiction with Poland's values” and that she “cannot imagine” such a concert being held in Poland.

Billboard, meanwhile, connected the Poland decision to the UK and France setbacks and quoted the stadium’s statement and Cienkowska’s “unacceptable” line, while also noting that West had not yet released a statement regarding the Poland cancellation.

The cancellation in Poland did not end West’s European tour plans in the accounts provided, but it added another blocked date to a schedule already disrupted by the UK and France decisions.

“Kanye West’s live comeback hashit another snag: his concert in Chorzów, Poland, scheduled for June 19th, 2026, has been canceled”

Consequence of Sound

BBC said West was due to headline Wireless Festival in London and perform in Marseille in southern France as part of his European tour this year, and it reported that Wireless was forced to drop him after the UK government blocked his visa, eventually cancelling the entire festival.

Consequence of Sound

BBC also said the show in Marseille is now postponed “until further notice,” and People included West’s own wording that he would postpone the Marseille show “until further notice.”

People reported that “Despite the setback, his tour schedule still lists multiple international stops later this year, including shows in India, Turkey, Spain, Italy, and the Netherlands,” and it also said the Polish stadium’s decision happened only days after West postponed a concert in France.

Forbes similarly said West is set to launch his European tour on May 23 in New Delhi in support of his new album Bully, which it described as currently No. 2 on the Billboard 200.

Billboard reported that according to the Yeezy website, he’s still slated to perform in New Delhi, Istanbul, the Netherlands, Italy, Madrid and Portugal later this year, even as the Poland show was cancelled.

Rolling Stone added that West launched an apology tour for his past behavior in January with a full-page Wall Street Journal ad, and it quoted the ad’s line “All of it went too far.”