London’s Wireless Festival has been cancelled after American rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West was denied entry into the United Kingdom, ending plans for his headline run in July at the festival in Finsbury Park.

According to BBC, the UK Home Office responsible for border control said Ye applied to travel to the UK on Monday but his Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA), was withdrawn on the basis that his presence in the country would not be “conducive to the public good.” 

The move came days after backlash over his booking, which prompted the withdrawal of headline partner Pepsi.

The festival organisers confirmed the cancellation in a statement, saying, “As a result of the Home Office banning YE from entering the United Kingdom, Wireless Festival has been forced to cancel. All ticket holders will receive an automatic full refund.”

The organisers said multiple stakeholders were consulted before booking the rapper, adding that “no concerns were highlighted at the time.”

They added that “antisemitism in all its forms is abhorrent” and acknowledged the personal impact of the controversy.

Ye, had been booked to headline the three nights of the July 10 to 12 event, marking his first major UK performance announcement in more than a decade. 

The booking triggered criticism from people including Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey, urging the government to block his entry because of the rapper’s years of antisemitic remarks, including his 2022 threat to go “death con 3” on Jewish people and later statements praising Adolf Hitler.

In a statement on Tuesday, Ye said he hoped to use the London show to demonstrate change.

He said, “I’ve been following the conversation around Wireless and want to address it directly. My only goal is to come to London and present a show of change, bringing unity, peace, and love through my music.”

He added that he would welcome the opportunity to meet members of the Jewish community in the UK, saying he understood that “words aren’t enough” and that change would need to be shown through action. 

The Board of Deputies of British Jews responded by saying the Jewish community would need to see “genuine remorse and change” before accepting to test his sincerity on the main stage of a major music festival.

In a statement signed by its president, Phil Rosenberg, the group noted it had been less than a year since Ye released a song titled “Heil Hitler,” describing it as the culmination of years of “appalling antisemitism.”

The cancellation came after the rapper performed his first full U.S. live show since 2021 with a two-hour concert at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.