Reggio Emilia cancels Kanye West and Travis Scott concerts

The prefect of Reggio Emilia, Salvatore Angieri, has ordered the cancellation of two concerts scheduled for July at the RCF Arena, the venue for the Pulse of Gaia festival. The decision affects performances by Kanye West (who now records as Ye) and Travis Scott, according to the Guardian and NBC News. The order cites "public order and safety issues" and concerns over potential protests.

The cancellation follows pressure from local Jewish leaders, who raised alarms about West's documented antisemitic statements and use of Nazi imagery, according to reporting from Ynet News. The prefect's decision marks part of a broader pattern: West has faced a wave of cancellations across Europe this summer, with Britain denying him entry in April, the Jerusalem Post reported.

Reggio Emilia, a city of roughly 170,000 in the heart of Emilia-Romagna's manufacturing belt, hosts the RCF Arena as a cultural venue. The festival cancellation represents a rare intervention by local authorities in the region's event calendar, signalling the weight authorities placed on the security assessment and the concerns raised by the Jewish community.