ADVERTISEMENTThis year’s edition of the Slovak Rubicon Festival, which was scheduled to feature controversial American rapper Kanye ‘Ye’ West next week, has been cancelled.
Organizers announced the news on Instagram, with the Rubicon Festival Team saying: “This was not an easy decision. Due to media pressure and the withdrawal of several artists and partners, we were unable to deliver the festival at the standard of quality you deserve. We are truly grateful for your support and trust. For those who have purchased tickets, please be patient – all refund information will be sent via email within 14 days.”
They added: “This is not the end of Rubicon. We are not giving up. We’re already working to come back stronger.”
The festival cited unspecified and unforeseen circumstances, including logistical challenges and external pressures – which could refer to the petition that was launched last month opposing Ye’s performance.
Their petition described the Ye booking as “an insult to historic memory, a glorification of wartime violence and debasement of all victims of the Nazi regime”.
The Rubicon festival, which bills itself as a cultural event of “vision and provocation,” had previously revealed plans for an exclusive mid-July performance by what it called a “hip-hop visionary, cultural icon, and controversial genius.”
They claimed the Bratislava show would be Ye’s only European performance in 2025.
Last week, we reported that Ye had his Australian visa cancelled, following the release of the rapper’s song titled ‘Heil Hitler’.
In an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, the country’s home affairs minister Tony Burke said: “If someone argued that anti-Semitism was rational, I would not let them come here. (…) [West] has been coming to Australia for a long time… and he’s made a lot of offensive comments. But my officials looked at it again once he released the Heil Hitler song, and he no longer has a valid visa in Australia.”
The rapper’s song, released on 8 May – coinciding with the 80th anniversary of Nazi Germany’s defeat – has been widely condemned and banned on most music streaming platforms.
Ye has previously identified as a Nazi and his anti-Semitic comments have been numerous over the years. This year alone, he made a shocking string of antisemitic posts, which included comments like “I love Hitler” and “I’m a Nazi.”
He has also come under fire for selling a white t-shirt with a large swastika emblem on the chest – an item listed as “HH-01” on his website, a reference to the “Heil Hitler” chant.
Following the online rampage and the posting of a KKK photo, he was dropped by his talent agency.
