Rapper Kanye West’s recent rants on social media, perceived as anti-Semitic, have been reportedly referenced by vandals who defaced at least thirty-nine tombstones in a Jewish Cemetery in Waukegan, Illinois.
Sixteen of them featured red spray-painted swastikas, according to the local Police Department, while graffiti on one tombstone reportedly read: “Kanye was rite.” Police made the discovery after they were called out to the Am Echod Jewish cemetery in Waukegan, 40 miles north of Chicago, on November 14. Also on the same day, walls in Maryland were found similarly smeared with “hateful messages”, such as “No Mercy For Jews."
In a statement, Waukegan Mayor Ann Taylor slammed the "hateful imagery found spray-painted on headstones," adding:
"Hate does not have a home in Waukegan; when such incidents occur, our marginalized neighbors are victimized, and our entire community suffers. I hope our officers promptly locate the perpetrators of this despicable act and hold them accountable, and I offer my full support to those directly impacted by this vandalism."
Kanye West triggered a huge 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,” albeit later apologizing for the wording. West, 45, now going under the name of Ye, sparked widespread criticism and was locked out of his Instagram* and Twitter accounts for what was seen as anti-Semitism-laden comments online and in TV interview.
Furthermore, the musician's controversial showcasing of a 'Yeezy' T-shirt with the slogan 'White Lives Matter' during Paris Fashion Week was decried by the Anti-Defamation League. The phrase emblazoned across the shirts, which reframes the Black Lives Matter phrase, was described as a hate statement.
*Meta (Facebook, Instagram) is banned in Russia as an extremist organization.