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Kanye West to perform in the Netherlands following UK ban

It comes after a string of other European shows were cancelled due to the rapper's previous antisemitic remarks.

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Kanye West will perform in The Netherlands after being granted approval.
Kanye West will perform in The Netherlands after being granted approval. Picture: Alamy

By Alex Storey

Kanye West has been given the green light to hold concerts in the Netherlands this summer, despite been barred from several countries.

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Dutch lawmakers had urged the government to bar West, who is now known as Ye, ​citing his past remarks and expressions of admiration for Nazism ​and Adolf Hitler.

But in response, its ‌migration minister Bart van den Brink said there were no legal grounds to deny him entry and will therefore grant him approval to perform concerts next month.

Mr van den Brink said: "Solid grounds are needed to bar people ⁠from entering (the Netherlands). We have not found those in the analyses ​that were conducted.

Read more: 'We don't want a man like that in this country': Minister defends Home Office decision to ban Kanye West from UK

Read more: More Kanye West concerts cancelled over rapper’s antisemitic views

"His past statements ​are not, at this moment, a reason to deny him entry."

West, 48, will perform at concert venue GelreDome in the city of Arnhem, around 60 miles southeast of Amsterdam, on June 6 and 8, which are set to be his first European performances since 2014.

Arnhem authorities ‌said ⁠no permits to protest the concerts had so far been requested.

West made headlines in April after he was denied a UK visa, which led to the cancellation of his headline appearances at Wireless Festival following repeated antisemitic remarks.

The 48-year-old was due to play Wireless in London before the festival was cancelled.
The 48-year-old was due to play Wireless in London before the festival was cancelled. Picture: Alamy

The Home Office deemed his presence in the UK was "not conducive to the public good."

In the wake of the decision, Wireless and its under-fire organiser Melvin Benn said the festival would not go ahead and that anyone who had bought tickets would be given a refund.

West then postponed a concert in France amid mounting political opposition.