Italy bans Kanye West and Travis Scott concerts in Reggio Emilia, citing public safety and risk of protests

The decision

Local prefect Salvatore Angieri issued the ban on 29 May under Article 2 of Italy's public security law, following a 25 May meeting of the provincial committee for public order and safety. The committee examined formal requests from consumer rights group Codacons and the Jewish community of Modena and Reggio Emilia, who had objected to West's appearance at the Pulse of Gaia Festival.

The decision was made to ensure public order and safety.

The prefecture cited the tight 24-hour window between the two shows, the expected influx of up to 103,000 spectators at the RCF Arena, and the "concrete risk of counterdemonstrations." Officials also weighed the cancellation of West's previous European dates in other countries.

A pattern of cancellations

Italy becomes the latest European country to block West's summer tour. The UK government denied him entry in April, forcing the cancellation of his Wireless Festival headline slot. Poland's culture minister called his scheduled Silesian Stadium appearance "unacceptable," and the venue cancelled the show. Switzerland's FC Basel blocked a June concert at St Jakob-Park, saying it was "not in accordance with our values." France's interior minister sought to ban a Marseille gig, prompting West to postpone it himself.

We are talking about an artist who has publicly made antisemitic views, downplayed crimes and profited from selling swastika T-shirts. These are not 'controversies'. This is a deliberate crossing of boundaries and the normalisation of hatred.

Travis Scott also affected

The ban extends to Travis Scott, whose 17 July date was scheduled the day before West's. Scott has faced heightened safety scrutiny since the 2021 Astroworld festival crowd crush in Houston that killed 10 people. Italian media reported that ticket sales for the Reggio Emilia dates had been below expectations, and there were unconfirmed discussions about postponing Scott's concert by a year.

Festival turmoil

The Pulse of Gaia festival, running 4–18 July, had already been mired in controversy. The event was originally announced in February under the name "Hellwatt" and underwent a name change and the removal of its artistic director, Victor Yari Milani. Organisers C.Volo and Coopservice faced questions over high artist fees, fluctuating ticket prices, and logistics for managing 60,000–70,000 attendees on consecutive days.

I learned about the cancellation from the media. The decision is quite instrumental. These concerts would have brought great prestige to Reggio Emilia.

What remains on West's tour

Despite the wave of cancellations, West performed in Istanbul on 30 May at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium — his first European show in 11 years. Upcoming dates include the Netherlands in July and a 7 August concert at Estádio do Algarve in Portugal, where ticket prices range from €119 to €500. The Dutch immigration minister has said there are no legal grounds to bar West's entry. West has attributed his past remarks to untreated bipolar disorder and has apologised, stating he is "neither a Nazi nor antisemitic."