Banners on LA Freeway Reading 'Kanye is Right About the Jews' Spark Outrage
06:54 GMT 24.10.2022 (Updated: 10:20 GMT 24.10.2022)
© AP Photo / Michael Wyke
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US rapper Kanye West recently faced a backlash over a succession of outbursts on social media and in interviews that were slammed as anti-Semitic, particularly after he tweeted that he was going to go "death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE”, although he later apologized for the wording.
Kanye West may have been taking a lot of flak of late for statements dubbed anti-Semitic, but one group appears to be a huge fan of his rants.
Several members of the group Goyim Defense League (GDL) were reportedly seen gathered in hats and masks around a series of anti-Semitic banners on the 405 Los Angeles freeway. They were offering up the Nazi salute as one of the banners read, “Kanye is right about the Jews,” and another seemed to be urging drivers to honk while passing.
"Goyim" is a Hebrew word meaning "nation," and is colloquially used by Jews to refer to those who are not Jewish. GDL, which emerged in 2018, is led by Californian comedian actor Jon Minadeo, who has claimed that the GDL supports all "goyim" rallying together against Jewish influence.
LA yesterday, Kanye and adidas probably end this week or they have issues. Pic Zoe Buckman pic.twitter.com/6TsojlnSdz
— The Inner Circle Trading Group DP David Prince (@epictrades1) October 23, 2022
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, ABOVE THE 405 FREEWAY— October 21, 2022. A white supremacist group with a banner stating “Kanye is Right About the Jews…” while throwing up the Nazi salute… @adidas #adidas — are you seriously trying to maintain business ties with Kanye West?😡 pic.twitter.com/sNN2fM4w2m
— ProfessorBiz (@MrSoNso21) October 24, 2022
A slew of celebrities, including English actress Florence Pugh and artist, photographer and writer Zoë Buckman, went on social media to express their outrage at the signs.
They were slammed as “absolutely appalling” by Pugh, who shared the photo of the banners on the freeway.
Buckman also posted a picture of the banners, and made mention of the fact that West collaborates with Adidas.
“We should stop waiting for a statement or action from Adidas - it's insulting at this point. We know how PR machines work & how quickly [folks] can put out a response if they feel motivated too,” Buckman wrote.
West, now going under the name of Ye, sparked widespread criticism and was locked out of his Instagram* and Twitter accounts in recent weeks for what is seen as anti-Semitism-laden comments online and in TV interviews. The 'All of the Lights' rapper said that Jewish people wield disproportionate power in the media and music industries and try to control the culture, purportedly suppressing everyone who opposes them. The ex-husband of Kim Kardashian also tweeted that he was going to go "death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE,” in a likely reference to US military defense readiness condition - DEFCON.
Though he later apologized for his wording, the billionaire musician - who was diagnosed as having bipolar disorder in 2016 - received a tremendous backlash. Earlier, his controversial showcasing of a 'Yeezy' T-shirt with the slogan 'White Lives Matter' during Paris Fashion Week was denounced by the Anti-Defamation League. The phrase emblazoned across the shirts, which reframes the Black Lives Matter phrase, was described as a hate statement.
3 October 2022, 21:33 GMT
Several brands have announced their decision to cease working with the musician, including fashion magazine Vogue, fashion house Balenciaga, bank JPMorgan Chase and others.
A defiant West pointed out that the backlash only proves the correctness of his stance on the issue of silencing the dissidents in the industry.
"That's how this town been running for so so long. They'll mute you at all costs," the rapper said, adding that he won't back down. "We here, baby, we ain’t going nowhere," he told TMZ.
Adidas stated earlier in October that it is reviewing its 'Yeezy' partnership with Kanye West, with a spokesman for the German sportswear company adding that the "Adidas Yeezy partnership is one of the most successful collaborations in our industry's history".
However, the collaboration between Adidas and West on a hugely popular range of sneakers - known as 'Yeezy' - has been strained for some time. In June, the rapper accused Adidas of making a shoe that looked similar to the 'Yeezy' design, but was purportedly not part of their deal.
West responded to the recent Adidas statement by writing on social media, "I AM ADIDAS". In September West also pulled the plug on his 10-year partnership with retailer Gap.
Kanye West recently hired Camille Vasquez, who gained national recognition because of her representation of actor Johnny Depp in his defamation trial with ex-wife Amber Heard, to join his team of lawyers at the Brown Rudnick firm working with West, TMZ added.
*Meta (Facebook, Instagram) is banned in Russia as an extremist organization.
