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\n\tThe head of Wireless<\/a> Festival condemned Kanye West<\/a>\u2019s history of<\/a> antisemitic comments<\/a> and<\/a> praise for Nazis<\/a>, but defended the decision to book the rapper for this year\u2019s event.<\/p>\n \n\tIn a statement shared with Rolling Stone<\/em>, Melvin Benn, managing director of Festival Republic, called on critics to offer Ye \u201cforgiveness and hope,\u201d saying, \u201cForgiveness and giving people a second chance are becoming a lost virtue in this ever-increasing divisive world.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tWhile West recently apologized for his past behavior<\/a> and antisemitic statements, Wireless\u2019 decision has still drawn sharp rebukes from politicians and sponsors. U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and London Mayor Sadiq Khan<\/a> both condemned the booking, and the BBC<\/a> reported that some ministers are looking into whether to even grant West permission to enter the U.K. Additionally, Pepsi<\/a>, Rockstar Energy, and the beverage giant Diageo<\/a> have pulled out as sponsors of Wireless 2026.<\/p>\n \n\tDespite the pushback, Benn\u2019s statement seemed to suggest that Wireless would not alter its lineup. Alluding to West\u2019s apology, in which the rapper tied his antisemitic outbursts to his battle with bipolar disorder, Benn said that, for the past 15 years, he\u2019s had a person in his life who also \u201csuffers from mental illness.\u201d Benn added that he had witnessed \u201cmany episodes of despicable behavior that I have had to forgive and move on from.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cIf I wasn\u2019t before, I have become a person of forgiveness and hope in all aspects of my life, including work,\u201d Benn continued. \u201cWhat Ye has said in the past about Jews and Hitler is as abhorrent to me as it is to the Jewish community, the prime minister and others that have commented and \u2014 taking him at his word \u2014 to Ye now also.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tBenn further argued that West\u2019s music is still played on U.K. radio stations, remains available to stream and download, and (at least for now) still has \u201ca legal right to come into the country and to perform in this country.\u201d Benn stressed that Wireless is \u201cnot giving him a platform to extol opinion of whatever nature, only to perform the songs that are currently played on the radio stations in our country and the streaming platforms in our country and listened to and enjoyed by millions.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n