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Los Angeles (AFP) – Pressure is mounting on sportswear giant Adidas to cut ties with rapper Kanye West after a series of anti-Semitic outbursts.
Human rights activists have singled out the German company for its silence over comments made by West, now known as Ye, that have left him increasingly isolated in the entertainment and fashion industries.
“Thousands of signatures and no words Adidas? Your silence is a danger to Jews,” tweeted Anti-Defamation League representative Jonathan Greenblatt.
“We cannot allow Ye’s #antisemitism to be normalized – we must all demand that Adidas turn away from hate by condemning his racist rhetoric and evaluating his collaboration.”
The company said this month it was reviewing its relationship with West after he appeared at a Paris fashion show wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with “White Lives Matter.”
The phrase is a reaction by far-right and white supremacist groups in the United States to the “Black Lives Matter” movement, which protests against racism.
West was promptly banned from Twitter and Instagram for posting a threatening post against the Jewish community.
Over the weekend a banner was placed on a Los Angeles freeway reading “Kanye is right about the Jews” and “Blow the bugle if you know.”
Some activists were photographed giving the “Heil Hitler” salute.
On Monday, CAA, one of Hollywood’s largest talent agencies, severed its working relationship with West.
Television and film production company MRC said it would shelve a finished documentary about the rapper.
“We cannot support any content that extends its platform,” the company was quoted as saying by the Los Angeles Times.
“The silence of leaders and corporations when it comes to Kanye or anti-Semitism in general is heartbreaking but not surprising. What is a sad development is the fear that Jews have to speak out in their own defense.”
Other entertainment industry figures, including agency giant Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel, urged all companies to cut ties with West.
“Those who continue to do business with West are giving his hate in disguise an audience,” Emanuel wrote in the Financial Times newspaper. “There should be no tolerance for West’s anti-Semitism.”
Fashion house Balenciaga last week broke off its collaboration with West, saying it “had no other relationship or plans for future projects with this artist.”
The 45-year-old rapper’s ex-wife, Kim Kardashian, posted a message against hate speech on her social media on Monday without mentioning the father of her children. “I support the Jewish community and urge an end to the terrible violence and hateful rhetoric against them,” she wrote.
Mental health
The company, whose founders had ties to Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party, announced weeks ago that it was reviewing its relationship with West after the artist expressed differences over some business decisions.
“After several efforts to resolve this situation privately, we have decided to place the collaboration under review,” Adidas wrote in a statement in early October.
West has accused Adidas of hosting commercial events and reviving old styles without his approval, among other claims.
The rapper maintained a collaboration with Nike until 2013. His first shoe model Yeezy with Adidas it was released in 2015. The collaboration made him a billionaire.
Along with Beyonce, Stella McCartney and Pharrell Williams, West has been one of the top names used by Adidas to boost sales.
Adidas, which did not address the recent tensions in its latest statement, described the collaboration with West as “one of the most successful in our history.”
West, who has grabbed more headlines lately for pushes like his 2020 presidential bid than for his music, has been outspoken about his struggles with mental health issues, but his erratic behavior continues to cause concern.
Specialists on the subject emphasize that it is not possible to relate his bipolarity to his anti-Semitism.
