Kanye West Concert in Poland Deemed 'Unacceptable' and Canceled amid Continuing Controversy

Daniela AvilaFri, April 17, 2026 at 8:25 PM UTC

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Kanye West in Los Angeles in May 2023Credit: Rachpoot/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images -

Kanye West's June concert in Poland was canceled due to his past antisemitic comments and controversial actions

Polish officials, including the culture minister, condemned the event citing the country's Holocaust history and opposition to hate speech

West has faced multiple concert changes in recent weeks, including in France and the U.K.

Kanye "Ye" West's upcoming show in Poland has been canceled amid widespread criticism for past antisemitic comments and controversial actions.

On Friday, April 17, the director of the Silesian Stadium in Chorzów, Poland, announced that the rapper's concert scheduled for June would no longer take place.

"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," Adam Strzyzewski, the stadium's director, said in ⁠a statement posted on Facebook, according to a translation by Reuters.

Polish Culture Minister Marta Cienkowska also weighed in on X on April 16 and said "the decision to organize a Kanye West concert in Poland is unacceptable."

"We are talking about an artist who has publicly expressed antisemitic views, downplayed crimes, and profited from selling swastika T-shirts. These are not 'controversies.' This is a deliberate crossing of boundaries and the normalization of hatred," she continued."In a country scarred by the history of the Holocaust, we cannot pretend that this is just entertainment," Cienkowska concluded. "Artistic freedom does not mean giving a free pass to everything. Culture cannot be a space for those who exploit it to spread hatred."

A rep for West did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.

The Polish stadium's decision to cancel happened only days after West postponed a concert in France, which was scheduled for the summer, amid reports that officials had considered banning the event.

West announced via X on Tuesday, April 14 that the concert at the Orange Vélodrome in Marseille on June 11 would be postponed "until further notice."

“After much thought and consideration, it is my sole decision to postpone my show in Marseille, France until further notice,” he wrote.

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In a follow-up post, he wrote, "I know it takes time to understand the sincerity of my commitment to make amends."

"I take full responsibility for what's mine but I don't want to put my fans in the middle of it. My fans are everything to me," he continued.

The week prior, West was denied legal entry to the U.K., leading to the cancellation of London's Wireless Festival.

Earlier that day, West released a statement via Festival Republic and said his goal was to "present a show of change, bringing. unity, peace, and love through my music." He also expressed a desire to "meet with members of the Jewish community in the U.K."

In recent years, West has been widely criticized for making multiple public antisemitic comments. Earlier this year, however, he attempted to walk back on those comments in an open letter funded by his Yeezy brand and published in The Wall Street Journal on Jan. 26. In the letter, he said his hurtful remarks and erratic behavior were caused by bipolar disorder.

Kanye West in New York City in 2019Credit: Brad Barket/Getty

“I regret and am deeply mortified by my actions in that state, and am committed to accountability, treatment, and meaningful change. It does not excuse what I did, though. I am not a Nazi or an antisemite. I love Jewish people," he wrote.

“I'm not asking for sympathy, or a free pass, though I aspire to earn your forgiveness. I write today simply to ask for your patience and understanding as I find my way home,” West's letter concluded.

West recently played shows in Los Angeles, Mexico City and China. The rapper is still scheduled to perform shows in India, Turkey, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain and Portugal this year.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”