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Officials in Italy have banned two concerts by U.S. rappers Kanye West and Travis Scott, scheduled for July at the RCF Arena in Reggio Emilia, in northern Italy.
Salvatore Angieri, the local prefect, ordered the cancellations on Saturday, citing concerns about public order and security, as well as the possibility of protests.
West, who also goes by Ye, has had several concerts canceled across Europe this summer after years of antisemitic statements, including comments praising Adolf Hitler and using Nazi imagery in his work.
Travis Scott has faced ongoing scrutiny over crowd safety since a deadly crowd surge at his 2021 Astroworld festival in Houston, Texas, which killed 10 people and injured hundreds.
Scott was set to perform at the "Pulse of Gaia Festival" on July 17 at the 103,000-seat arena, with Ye scheduled for the next day.
Angieri said the decision came after formal requests from the consumer group CODACONS and the Jewish communities in Modena and Reggio Emilia, who had both raised concerns, especially about Ye.
Officials also pointed to the tight schedule of the two events and the large number of spectators expected within 24 hours as reasons for the ban. They also mentioned the cancellation of other Ye concerts in Europe and what they called a real risk of protests.
These bans are the latest in a series of restrictions on Ye in Europe. In April, Britain refused him entry, citing his presence as not being in the public interest.
That month, a show in Marseille was postponed after reports that French officials tried to block it. Concerts in Poland and Switzerland were also canceled.
Ye has apologized for his past antisemitic comments, saying they were due to untreated bipolar disorder.
He continues to perform in countries that allow him entry and is scheduled to play in Istanbul on Saturday.
He is also set to perform in the Netherlands next month, after the migration minister said there was no legal reason to bar him.
Ye, Scott, and the event organizers in Italy did not immediately comment.
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