There have been more than two dozen antisemitic incidents in recent months, including multiple assaults, apparently inspired by Ye's rhetoric, according to a new report.
The Anti-Defamation League says it has "documented at least 30 antisemitic incidents that directly reference Ye," the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, since October 2022, the month he threatened to go "death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE."
The report lays out all of the examples, which include "vandalism, banner drops, targeted harassment, and campus propaganda distributions." There were multiple instances of phrases like "Kanye was right about the Jews" being written in public places alongside swastikas, as well as Jewish people allegedly being harassed by individuals who expressed support for Ye. In one case, a man allegedly called a Jewish-owned restaurant and asked for "the Kanye special" before saying, "Death to all the Jews."
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In another case, 32-year-old Perin Jacobchuk allegedly physically assaulted a Jewish man in New York, shouting "F--k you, Jew" and "Kanye 2024!" A Jewish man was also allegedly "physically and verbally assaulted" in a grocery store by a group of people in Maryland who said, "Do it for Kanye!" The Anti-Defamation League additionally says that Ye's antisemitic statements have been embraced by extremist groups, and references to the rapper "have become mainstream shorthand for the hatred of — or a desire to commit violence against — Jewish people."
Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt told The Hollywood Reporter in a statement that Ye's antisemitic remarks "doubtlessly are having an impact and inspiring people to commit real-world acts of hate." The group previously condemned Ye for his "dangerous" social media posts, but he repeatedly doubled down on them before eventually professing his admiration of Adolf Hitler.
