Arnhem mayor approves Ye concerts at GelreDome

Arnhem’s mayor Ahmed Marcouch has granted a permit for two concerts by the rapper Ye, formally known as Kanye West, in the city next month, despite a majority of Dutch MPs calling for him to be barred from performing in the Netherlands.

Marcouch, who made the decision in a letter to the city council on Thursday, acknowledged the planned shows had caused upset, particularly within Arnhem’s Jewish community. He called Ye’s history of anti semitism reprehensible but confirmed the permit for the GelreDome stadium.

A mayor cannot refuse an event permit on moral grounds alone, he said – that can only be done on the legal grounds set out in public order and safety rules.

After consulting the police, fire and medical services, the council concluded that the organiser had taken sufficient measures on security, crowd flows and traffic, and that there was no legal basis to refuse.

Decision now with The Hague

The permit does not guarantee that Ye performs on June 6 and 8. A majority of MPs backed a motion earlier this month calling on the cabinet to prevent the concerts, either by refusing the rapper entry or by pressing the organiser to call them off.

The cabinet has said it is examining whether there are legal grounds to bar him. Justice Minister David van Weel has warned that the threshold for refusing someone entry is high, requiring a clear threat to public order or safety.

Marcouch said the public prosecution department (OM) could still step in if the law was broken during the performances, which would be closely monitored.

Banned elsewhere in Europe

Ye released a song called Heil Hitler last year and advertised T-shirts featuring swastikas on his website, withdrawing them after an outcry.

He has also praised Adolf Hitler. In January he took out a full-page advert in the Wall Street Journal apologising for his behaviour, which he blamed on mental illness.

The UK refused him entry earlier this year, forcing the cancellation of his Wireless Festival headline slot in London. Planned dates in France, Poland and Switzerland have also fallen through.