The mayor of France's second-biggest city, Marseille, has said that Kanye West is "not welcome" after the music star known for his antisemitic rants announced a concert in June.
The 24-time Grammy winner has lost fans and business deals in recent years over racist or antisemitic outbursts, releasing a song titled Heil Hitler last May to mark the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.
The concert at the city-owned Vélodrome stadium scheduled for 11 June - for which the box office is not yet open - is West's only French date.
Socialist mayor Benoît Payan said the 48-year-old hip-hop star was "not welcome" in the southern city.
"I refuse to let Marseille be a showcase for those who promote hatred and unabashed Nazism," he posted on X.
He described the Vélodrome stadium as "our temple of living together".
But local authorities can only ban a concert under strict conditions, if statements at the event risk constituting a criminal offence and if public order is threatened, according to France's highest administrative court.
Organising agency Mars 360 told AFP that it had been very careful, inserting specific clauses into the concert contract "to ensure that no illegal remarks are made during the concert and that French law is fully respected".
Fabienne Bendayan, running mate to the right-wing candidate in municipal elections later this month and former regional head of Jewish group the Representative Council of French Jewish Institutions (CRIF), also contested the performance going ahead.
"Someone who openly proclaims his admiration for Hitler and espouses Nazi ideas cannot set foot on the stage of a city whose very soul is woven from diversity, remembrance and brotherhood," she said on X.
West, who has changed his name to Ye and struggled with bipolar disorder for years, in January said the disorder sometimes led to him having "disconnected moments" resulting in poor judgement and reckless behaviour.
He denied being a Nazi and said he loved Jewish people.
In a full-page advert in the US outlet The Wall Street Journal, the 48-year-old said he was not asking for "sympathy or a free pass" and wanted to earn forgiveness from the public.
In late 2023, West apologised to Jewish people for having said "I love Nazis."
Source: AFP, Press Association
