Madame Tussauds London Removes Wax Figure of Ye Over Anti-Semitic Comments
Rapper Kanye West wears a Make America Great again hat during a meeting with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on Oct. 11, 2018.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The Madame Tussauds wax museum in London has removed a waxwork of the artist Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, against a background of his alleged anti-Semitic comments during recent media appearances and on social media, a spokesman for the museum said on Wednesday.”Ye’s figure has been retired from the attraction floor to our archive,” the spokesman said, as quoted by the Guardian, adding that “each profile earns their place at Madame Tussauds London and we listen to our guests and the public on who they expect to see at the attraction.”Ye’s figure was launched in Madame Tussauds in 2015 alongside a waxwork of his former wife Kim Kardashian, according to the report.Ye lost several business deals, including with sportswear giant Adidas, after his comments that many considered to be anti-Semitic went viral.In recent interviews and social media posts, Ye claimed that Jewish people hold disproportionate power in the media and music industries and that black people are the real Jewish people – remarks deemed anti-Semitic by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).
ViralSkechers Tosses Kanye West Out of Their Offices After He Made an Unannounced Visit00:24 GMTYe’s remarks advance anti-Semitic tropes that could be leveraged by conspiracy theorists and extremist groups, the ADL said in a statement on his comments.Ye’s comments also led to social media platforms including Twitter and Instagram (banned in Russia) to remove his accounts for violating their speech policies. In response, Ye announced his intent to purchase the social media platform Parler.The backlash also included the termination of Ye’s financial ties to JP Morgan Chase, the relationship with his talent agency and deals with clothing companies Balenciaga, Gap and Foot Locker.Last week, Ye spoke with former US President Donald Trump and made plans to have dinner with the artist in the future amid Trump’s own allegations of anti-Semitism for claiming the Jewish community in the United States was not grateful for his support of Israel.ADL chief Jonathan Greenblatt called Trump’s remarks insulting and disgusting.
