Netherlands: Holocaust Museum Will Not Welcome Kanye West- "A Bridge Too Far"

America’s most famous anti-Semite, Kanye West, aka Ye, is performing two concerts in the Netherlands tonight and Monday in Arnhem. The Jewish community is angry, not so much the Dutch authorities and the mayor of Arnhem, Ahmed Marcouch. The concerts will go on, but when Mayor Marcouch announced a plan to bring West for a wreath-laying at the national Holocaust Museum, the museum decided that was a “bridge too far “.

The below article from NOS (nl) is translated by Fousesquawk.

NOS News-Today 21:07, updated today 21:16

Holocaust Museum will not cooperate with the Ye visit, protest at Gelredome against the rapper

The National Holocaust Museum does not intend to cooperate with a visit by the controversial rapper, Ye (formerly Kanye West). The museum says it is “unpleasantly surprised” by an invitation to the rapper from the Mayor of Arnhem, Ahmed Marcouch.

Ye is in the Netherlands for two concerts in the Gelredome in Arnhem. Prior to his appearance this evening, demonstrators gathered in front of the stadium with banners with references to his earlier expressions and actions of the rapper.

Two men were arrested prior to the concert on suspicion of disturbing public order. They were taken to the police station. The police announced that they were not demonstrators.

According to the ANP news bureau, three people were also turned away by the police. They carried signs with conspiracy theories about the Holocaust and tried to take them to the protest by several Jewish organizations against the appearance by Ye.

The controversial artist made several statements on several occasions in the past that were anti-Semitic or glorifying of Nazism. Last year, for example, he released the song, “Heil Hitler”, sold t-shirts with the swastika, and claimed 8 years ago that “400 years of slavery was a choice.” 

Caption: Visitors prior to the concert by Ye, who is appearing in the Netherlands for the first time since 2013. 

Marcouch invited Ye to visit the National Holocaust Museum with him and lay a wreath together with the chief rabbi. Ye has not yet responded.

“Undesired impact”

The museum does not want to lend any cooperation to the possible visit. “This has an undesired impact on other visitors and also raises concern over the integrity of this memorial location,” a spokesperson from the Jewish Cultural Quarter and the National  Holocaust Museum announces. 

The museum states that it will not “be a platform” to better an image damaged by anti-Semitic statements. “A visit to the museum alone is not enough to change the views. Unfortunately, more is needed.” 

Marcouch has since nuanced his words. In a response to the ANP news bureau, he says that he did not want to go to the Holocaust Museum with the rapper, “per se”. According to him, the museum “has reviewed what could be done”, but there was no concrete plan as yet. Marcouch calls it, “regrettable that all directions still seem to go to the Holocaust Museum

First Netherlands appearance since 2013

This evening, Ye is appearing before 40,000 people in the Gelredome. It is his first appearance in the Netherlands since 2013. On Monday, on his 49th birthday, there is a second concert planned.

The Central Jewish Council (CJO) filed an injunction against the appearance of the rapper Ye in Arnhem. The court ruled that the artist did not need to be barred from the Netherlands, and his concert could go on.

Mayor Marcouch earlier announced that it was up to the triangle (the municipality, police, and the public prosecutor) to determine “how and when” there would be intervention if something punishable happened during the concert.

Source: http://garyfouse.blogspot.com/2026/06/netherlands-holocaust-museum-will-not.html