The Dutch government on Friday gave the green light to controversial American musician Kanye West to perform in the country, joining several other EU countries that have sought to keep West out because of his history of anti-Semitic statements.
In the Netherlands, parliament also voted overwhelmingly to ban the rapper.
But the country’s migration minister said that was not enough to deny the West entry.
“You need clear reasons to expel people from your country. We did not find those reasons in the analyzes we conducted,” Asylum and Migration Minister Bart van den Brink said on Friday.
The musicians are scheduled to hold two concerts in the city of Arnhem, near the German border, on June 6 and 8. The second performance is timed to coincide with West’s 49th birthday.
From Holocaust denial to swastika merchandise
West, also known as Ye, has sparked outrage in recent years by repeatedly touting his love of Nazis and their leader Adolf Hitler, disputing the historical record on the Holocaust and endorsing anti-Semitism. Last year, he started selling merchandise bearing swastikas and released a music track dedicated to Hitler.
However, in January this year the musician took out a full-page ad wall street journal Admit your past behavior and apologize, saying “I’m not a Nazi or anti-Semite” and “I love Jewish people.”
The American star blamed chronic brain injury and mental health problems including bipolar disorder for his behaviour.
West banned from UK, Poland
However, the apparent change in course was not enough to put the scandal behind them. In April, Kanye was banned from entering the UK, where he was to play a festival. A few days later, the American rapper postponed a concert in France following reports that the French Interior Minister was trying to block it, and his performance, scheduled for June 19 in Poland, at that venue, was canceled due to “formal and legal reasons”.
Earlier this year, a Jewish advocacy group in the Netherlands called for West’s concert to be cancelled, saying that his actions “had historical significance, and a later expression of regret does not erase them.”
The Center for Information and Documentation on Israel (CIDI) reiterated its protest following Friday’s announcement that West would be allowed to perform in the Netherlands.
“It is incomprehensible that the Netherlands is unable to draw an ethical line about who should be offered the platform and who should not,” said CIDI director Naomi Mestrom.
Edited by: Wesley Dockery