Amsterdam’s National Holocaust Museum has banned Kanye West from visiting, saying it will not serve as a stage to rehabilitate an image damaged by antisemitic statements. The Netherlands’ National Holocaust Museum in Amsterdam has barred rapper Kanye West from entering its premises, saying it will not allow the facility to be used to rehabilitate a public image damaged by a sustained record of antisemitic and pro-Nazi statements, as West’s European tour drew protests and crowd removals at his first Netherlands concert. West, who performs under the mononym Ye, appeared in Arnhem on Saturday night in his first Netherlands concert since 2013, drawing a crowd of approximately 40,000. Three attendees were removed from the venue after holding signs that authorities said were promoting conspiracy theories about the Holocaust. Two other people were arrested on suspicion of disturbing public order, though police said those incidents appeared unrelated to the protest signs. The museum ban followed an invitation extended by Arnhem Mayor Ahmed Marcouch, who suggested ahead of the concert that West visit the National Holocaust Museum in Amsterdam, lay a wreath at the Names Monument and meet with the Dutch chief rabbi. West did not publicly respond to the invitation. The museum, operated under the Jewish Cultural Quarter, moved swiftly to close that door. In a statement, a spokesperson said the institution had been “unpleasantly surprised” by the mayor’s public announcement and that an unsolicited visit would have an “unwanted impact on other visitors” while raising “concerns about the integrity of this place of remembrance.” “A visit to the museum alone is not enough to change those views,” the spokesperson said. “Unfortunately, more is needed.” The museum added that it had no intention of serving as a “stage” for improving an image it described as damaged by antisemitic statements. Marcouch subsequently walked back the proposal, saying there was no “concrete plan” for a visit and that the idea had “come up in discussions about what you could do.” West’s track record of antisemitic conduct is extensive and documented. He has publicly identified himself as a Nazi, appeared in a swastika-emblazoned t-shirt and repeatedly praised Adolf Hitler and the leadership of the Third Reich. He subsequently apologised for some of those statements, attributing his behaviour to mental illness linked to a prior head injury.
via billionaires africa: Holocaust Museum bans Kanye West over Nazi rants
