Italy has banned two concerts by American rappers Kanye West and Travis Scott, scheduled to be held in July in the northern city of Reggio Emilia.
The local prefect, Salvatore Angieri, ordered the cancellation of the concerts due to concerns about public order and safety, including the possibility of protests.
West, also known as Ye, has faced a wave of concert cancellations across Europe this summer due to years of anti-Semitic comments, including statements praising Adolf Hitler and the publication of Nazi content and imagery.
Scott has also been under scrutiny for safety at his concerts since a crowd stampede that occurred in 2021 at the Astroworld festival in Houston where 10 people were killed and hundreds more were injured.
Scott was scheduled to perform at the 103,000-seat RCF Arena on July 17, while Ye was scheduled to appear the following day. Authorities cited the close timing of the two shows and the high influx of spectators expected within 24 hours as factors behind the concert ban. They also pointed to the cancellation of Kanye's other concerts in Europe and the "concrete risk" of protests.
In April, Britain denied Kanye West entry on the grounds that his presence would not be conducive to the public good. Later that month, he also postponed a show in Marseille after reports that the French government had sought to block him, while concerts in Poland and Switzerland were also canceled.
Kanye West, who has apologized for past comments he said were related to untreated bipolar disorder, has continued to perform in countries that have welcomed him and will hold a concert in Istanbul this Saturday.
Keny West is scheduled to come to Albania where he will perform in Tirana on July 11th in an improvised stadium just for him.
