A bipartisan group of political leaders and Jewish residents are trying to block Kanye West from performing in Tampa.
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Sen. Rick Scott, R-Naples, labeled the hip-hop artist an “antisemite” and called for the Tampa Sports Authority to cancel his concerts at an event Monday at The Florida Holocaust Museum.
“We should never allow antisemitism anywhere, and we have to stand up against it,” Scott said.
West has made public antisemitic comments in recent years, including posting “I am a Nazi” on social media, selling shirts with swastikas on them, and releasing a music video titled “Heil Hitler.”
In January, West apologized for his antisemitic statements in a full-page ad in the Wall Street Journal.
Scott, who spoke behind a lectern with a sign that read “Don’t. Fund. Antisemitism.” was joined by a bipartisan group of officials, including Sen. Ashley Moody, R-Tampa; Senior Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights in the United States Department of Justice Leo Terrell; and former Gov. Charlie Crist, a Democrat who is running for mayor of St. Petersburg. Scott defeated Crist in the 2014 gubernatorial election.
“We’re here standing together because this is bigger than politics,” Scott said.
Earlier this month, Scott penned a letter to the Tampa Sports Authority, the organization that owns the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa where West is supposed to perform June 26 and 28, urging them to cancel the concert.
“West’s remarks are vile and a slap in the face to our state’s Jewish community. It is troubling that a stadium supported by taxpayer dollars would openly subsidize an event led by an artist known for pushing this dangerous, hateful rhetoric, especially with Florida having one of the largest Jewish populations in our country,” the letter reads.
A statement released by the sports authority stated they “do not condone” West’s remarks but “we follow the principles of free speech in operating our venue.”
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Moody, who grew up in the Tampa Bay area, said every taxpayer should be upset about West’s show, not just Jewish residents.
“When you have a taxpayer funded body that is prioritizing hate and antisemitism, they have a lot of explaining to do,” Moody said.
In his apology West pointed to his bipolar disorder, and being in the throes of the affliction as the reason for his statements.
“I regret and am deeply mortified by my actions in that state, and am committed to accountability, treatment, and meaningful change. It does not excuse what I did though,” West wrote.
But Jewish residents in Tampa said that apology wasn’t enough.
“The Talmud contains many teachings that emphasize repentance, forgiveness, the possibility of redemption and encourages people to forgive one another. We completely embrace those principles and hope Ye’s apology is authentic,” said Tampa Jewish Community Centers and Federation in a statement. “Nonetheless, factoring in his sustained campaign of hatred, we think it’s much too early to consider beginning to forgive him.”
In response to West’s shows, the Florida Holocaust Museum will waive entry fees on June 26, 27 and 28.
“Our organization will continue to work toward a time when society will consider antisemitism a disqualifying trait,” the museum said in a statement. “Until then we will keep supporting the Jewish community as we educate about how to fight antisemitism, and why that fight matters.”
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