Sportswear giant Adidas was under growing pressure Monday to sever ties with Kanye West after a series of anti-Semitic outbursts by the controversial rapper.
Human rights campaigners called out the German firm for its continued silence over comments by West — known formally as Ye — that have made him more and more isolated from the businesses and brands that have made him fabulously wealthy.
“Thousands of signatures, and still no word, @adidas ? Your silence is a danger to Jews,” tweeted Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt.
“We can’t let Ye’s #antisemitism become normalized – we all need to demand Adidas #RunAwayFromHate by condemning his racist rhetoric & re-evaluating their partnership.”
The company said this month it was reviewing its relationship with West after he appeared at a fashion show in Paris wearing a shirt with the slogan “White Lives Matter
The phrase is a dog whistle to right-wing groups in the United States and a reaction to the Black Lives Matter movement.
Days later he was locked out of Twitter and Instagram for threatening to “Go death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE.”
Over the weekend a banner was hoisted over a busy Los Angeles freeway that read “Kanye is right about the Jews” and “Honk if you know.”
Several activists were photographed making “Heil Hitler” salutes.
On Monday, one of Hollywood’s biggest talent agencies, CAA, said it was dropping West.
Film and TV producer MRC said it was shelving an already-finished documentary about West.
We cannot support any content that amplifies his platform,” the company said, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Other leading figures in entertainment, including Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel called on all companies to cut ties with West.
“Those who continue to do business with West are giving his misguided hate an audience,” Emanuel wrote in the Financial Times. “There should be no tolerance anywhere for West’s anti-Semitism.”
Last week Paris-based fashion house Balenciaga ended ties with West, saying it “no longer (has) any relationship nor any plans for future projects related to this artist.”
West’s ex-wife Kim Kardashian appeared to be joining the pile-on, though her tweet did not mention the father of her children by name
Soiurce: eNCA
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