Anti-Defamation League Releases New Report on Impact of Kanye “Ye” West’s Antisemitic Statements

The Anti-Defamation League, the international Jewish non-governmental organization focused on civil rights law, has released a report linking Kanye “Ye” West’s anti-Semitic statements to real-world anti-Jewish sentiment on social media and in real-world physical spaces.

Since October 2022, the ADL’s Center on Extremism has documented at least 30 antisemitic incidents that directly reference West and his public comments, including vandalism, banners with hate speech, targeted harassment and campaigns in support of the artist’s statements on college campuses.

One example is the “#YeIsRight” hashtag, which the report notes has trended on Twitter since Oct. 1 with more than 9,400 mentions using or referencing hashtags related to the slogan. It was also seen written in chalk on a sidewalk at the University of Alabama on Jan. 26, 2023.

Known extremist, white supremacist groups like the Groypers have organized a series of “Ye is right, change my mind” events, where members defend and employ West’s outbursts as a way to espouse their own Holocaust denial and Hitler praise. The first event took place at Florida Atlantic University on Jan. 18, 2023, and doubled as an endorsement of West’s 2024 presidential campaign.

“Kanye West’s repeated antisemitic remarks — and his dredging up some of the worst anti-Jewish tropes imaginable — doubtlessly are having an impact and inspiring people to commit real-world acts of hate,” Jonathan Greenblatt, ADL CEO, said in an emailed statement to THR. “As we have long maintained, celebrities and others who engage in spreading hateful tropes need to know their words have consequences. Unfortunately, Kanye’s decision to continue to peddle hatred against Jews is only giving encouragement to people who are already infected with hate.”

The full report includes a timeline of incidents including vandalism, such as someone writing the words “Kanye West Is right” and “Kill All Jews” alongside three swastikas on the wall of a high school bathroom in Newport Beach, California; harassment, which the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust received in the form of antisemitic phone calls and emails after offering West a tour; and other incidents, including when members of the so-called Goyim Defense League displayed a banner over L.A.’s 405 Freeway that read “KANYE IS RIGHT ABOUT THE JEWS” while giving Nazi salutes.