“Ye” is once again at the heart of a controversy. Instagram and Twitter have restricted the accounts of American rapper Kanye West after he posted comments denounced as anti-Semitic.
A Twitter spokeswoman said on Sunday that her account had been locked due to a violation of the social network’s rules. For the same reason, a spokeswoman for Meta, the parent company of Instagram, claimed that the group had deleted content – without specifying which one – appearing on the artist’s account. The social network has also restricted his account, which may involve preventing him from posting, writing comments or sending private messages.
Misappropriation of the slogan “Black Lives Matter”
Kanye West has been causing a stir on social media since he wore a t-shirt proclaiming “White Lives Matter” during Paris Fashion Week. This is a diversion of the famous slogan “Black Lives Matter” (“Black lives matter”), emblematic of the anti-racist demonstrations of the summer of 2020 in the United States, and a spade for the attention of the eponymous movement.
On Instagram, Ye, 45, posted screenshots of conversations with rapper Diddy on Friday, who criticized the t-shirt and his message. “I will use you as an example to show Jewish people who told you to call me that no one can threaten or influence me,” Kanye West wrote. The publication has been deleted but copies are still visible on the Internet. Then on Twitter, he said he was going to attack Jews in a post that is no longer accessible, with the network saying it broke its rules.
Adidas wants to distance itself
The American Jewish Committee (AJC) has since accused Ye of promoting “Jew hatred.” “Kanye West should find a way to get his point across without resorting to anti-Semitism,” she said.
Accustomed to controversy, the rapper, who suffers from bipolar disorder, had already been banned from posting on Instagram for 24 hours in March, amid his acrimonious divorce from Kim Kardashian. He is also on the verge of breaking up with the Adidas brand, which wants to “reassess” its collaboration.