Judge allows Kanye West gigs in Netherlands to go ahead despite Jewish group protests
"The feeling we are getting is that it is okay if you are antisemitic," said the Netherlands' Central Jewish Council after the court ruling. The controversial rapper is set to perform in the Dutch city of Arnhem this weekend.
Published on 04/06/2026 - 8:45 GMT+2
Kanye ‘Ye’ West will be allowed to perform two gigs in the Netherlands after a judge in Amsterdam ruled that they could go ahead.
Despite widespread controversy surrounding the American rapper, who has previously made numerous antisemitic remarks, the Amsterdam District Court found no grounds to bar the performances – which are scheduled to take place on 6 and 8 June at the Gelredome in the eastern Dutch city of Arnhem.
The judge ruled that the concerts do not pose a threat to public order, thereby rejecting the attempt by the Netherland’s Central Jewish Council to block the events. The group had filed an emergency lawsuit, citing West’s history of antisemitic remarks.
“There are no indications that West’s presence in the coming days will lead to concrete public order dangers," the court stated.
The Central Jewish Council commented on the ruling, with Chanan Hertzberger, the organization’s chair, telling AP: “The feeling we are getting is that it is okay if you are antisemitic.”
Dutch Deputy Prime Minister Bart van den Brink said last week that “solid grounds” are needed to bar people from entering the country, noting West’s “past statements are not, at this moment, a reason to deny him entry.”
Concert organizers say 70,000 tickets have been sold for the two upcoming shows in Arnhem.
This ruling comes after many of West’s European gigs have been axed – including in France, the UK, Poland and Switzerland. The most recent cancellations were the two Italian shows set to take place next month in the northern city of Reggio Emilia. Italian authorities announced that West and fellow rapper Travis Scott’s gigs would not go ahead, citing public order and security concerns.
The rapper had his first performance in Europe in more than decade last the weekend, playing to a stadium crowd of more than 100,000 fans in Turkey, at Istanbul’s Atatürk Olympic Stadium. According to state-run Anadolu Agency, West reportedly drew a crowd of 118,000, which he claimed was the largest stadium performance in history.
West’s anti-Semitic remarks began in 2022, when he made a series of offensive comments on social media which ended up getting him booted off both X and Instagram. The musician was dropped by his talent agency and fashion brands like Adidas and Balenciaga also distanced themselves from West.
West went on to post a picture of KKK robes, rescind his previous apology to the Jewish community, declare himself “a Nazi” and assert that he has “dominion over his wife”.
In February 2025, West started selling swastika t-shirts, and in May, he released a song titled ‘Heil Hitler’, which praised the Nazi leader. This led him to be stripped of a visa to enter Australia and faced with immediate arrest in Brazil.
West apologised for his actions and took out a full-page ad in the Wall Street Journal earlier this year. He addressed his past antisemitic comments, reflecting on a "four-month-long manic episode of psychotic, paranoid and impulsive behaviour" and saying that he “lost touch with reality.”
Still, many questioned the timing of his apology, considering the 2026 release of his new album ‘Bully’.
So far, the remaining EU dates for West are the Netherlands (6 and 8 June), Georgia (12 June), Albania (11 July), Spain (30 July), and Portugal (7 August).
