Van Weel looking at whether Ye can be banned from Netherlands

The Dutch government is looking at whether it can ban Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, from performing two concerts in the Netherlands this summer because of his history of anti-Semitic remarks.

Justice minister David van Weel told a debate in parliament on Tuesday that he had asked officials to see if there were grounds to refuse the singer entry to the country.

Earlier this week the British government revoked his travel authorisation to the UK, where he was due to headline the Wireless Festival in July, leading to the cancellation of the event. He has been booked to perform in Arnhem’s GelreDome on June 6 and 8.

The Jewish rights organisation Centraal Joods Overleg (CJO) called on Van Weel to follow suit, but the minister told MPs he was unsure if it was legally possible.

“We have a fairly high threshold in the Netherlands for refusing entry,” he said. “There needs to be a clear threat that public order or safety would be disturbed.”

Ye released a song called Heil Hitler last year and T-shirts featuring swastikas were advertised for sale on his website, before being withdrawn after sparking an outcry.

In January he took out a full-page advert in advert in the Wall Street Journal apologising for his previous anti-Semitic behaviour, which he blamed on bipolar disorder.