Singer Charlie Puth has posted on his Instagram Stories begging Kanye West to stop promoting antisemitism.
Last week, Kanye West went on a social media posting spree where he wrote antisemitic, misogynistic, homophobic, and racist messages. He also paid for a Super Bowl ad prompting people to head to his website where there was only one item on sale: a T-shirt with a Swastika embroidered on it.
Puth wrote a plea to West
“Please man, I beg you to stop,” Puth said in his message to West on his Instagram Story on Monday 10 February.
The singer mentioned Kanye West, who changed his name to Ye, before he wrote an urgent message asking him to stop promoting antisemitism.
Puth pointed out West’s influence
“@ye The message you are sending out to the world is incredibly dangerous,” Puth started his message.
“Please man, I beg you to stop. You are selling a T-shirt with a Swastika on it, and MILLIONS of people are influenced by you. Please I BEG you to stop, PLEASE.”
What has West been doing?
In case you haven’t seen the news lately, Kanye West went on a 4-day-long rant on social media where he spewed antisemitic, racist, homophobic, and misogynistic messages on X/Twitter before closing his account.
West also bought a Super Bowl ad – slots were selling for up to $8 million – where he filmed himself on his phone asking people to go to his official website, Yeezy.com.
The website only showed one item on sale
Upon visiting the rapper’s website, people only found one item on sale, and that was a $20 white T-shirt with a black swastika on it.
According to Variety, the website had a range of clothes for sale prior to the airing of the Super Bowl ad, but after it was out, the antisemitic shirt was the only thing there.
This isn’t West’s first antisemitic move
The rapper, who calls himself a Nazi and a Hitler supporter, has a history with promoting antisemitism.
He had had a partnership with Adidas, who were licensed to produce his shoe brand, Yeezy, before they ended the partnership in 2022 following one of his antisemitic rants on social media.
The Anti-Defamation League responded
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Anti-Defamation League issued a response on Monday to West’s production and promotion of the antisemitic clothing.
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“As if we needed further proof of Kanye’s antisemitism, he chose to put a single item for sale on his website – a t-shirt emblazoned with a swastika,” the ADL wrote in a statement.
The ADL went on to condemn the move
“The swastika is the symbol adopted by Hitler as the primary emblem of the Nazis. It galvanized his followers in the 20th century and continues to threaten and instill fear in those targeted by antisemitism and white supremacy,” explained the statement.
The swastika was appropriated by Nazis and didn’t always symbolize bigotry. According to the BBC, the symbol was actually used by Hindus, Buddhists and Jains for millennia as a sign of good luck before it was appropriated by antisemitic fascists. The correct term for the Nazi symbol is hakenkreuz.
West’s promotion of antisemitism on social media and national television has caused many to worry about his impact on impressionable audiences.
The shirt’s label was audacious
“If that wasn’t enough, the t-shirt is labeled on Kanye’s website as ‘HH-01,’ which is code for ‘Heil Hitler,’” The statement continued.
“There’s no excuse for this kind of behavior. Even worse, Kanye advertised his website during the Super Bowl, amplifying it beyond his already massive social media audience,” the ADL wrote.
West has stated he likes breaking rules
The rapper has recently claimed on The Download podcast that he was diagnosed with autism, using the neurological condition to excuse his actions and hateful conduct.
On the podcast, West said: “That’s my problem when fans tell me to do my album a certain way, I’ll do it the opposite way just because.”
When will he stop?
West’s promotion of Nazi symbolism and ideology is nothing new to the world.
Between his 4-day hate spree on X/Twitter involving all-caps tweets like, “I AM A NAZI” and “I LOVE HITLER”, and his production and promotion of T-shirts with Swastikas, when will he stop?
