Ye, the musician, and the artist, is formerly known as Kanye West. He has continued to spew antisemitic remarks and disparage Jewish people in recent public appearances. Moreover, Jewish and anti-hate organizations are encouraging social media influencers and internet platforms to stop holding interviews with him.
Five Jewish and anti-hate organizations, including the Anti-Defamation League, the Southern Poverty Law Center, the American Jewish Committee, StopAntisemitism, and the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, called on tech platforms and influencers to accept responsibility for their role in allowing Ye’s antisemitic remarks to spread online.
Ye and Ross were featured in a potential interview
“Anybody who gives him a platform, you’re complicit at this point,” said Liora Rez, executive director of StopAntisemitism. “The only goal of his is to spew hatred and further vilify Jews.”
The comments came after white nationalist Nick Fuentes, who has been working on Ye’s 2024 presidential campaign, came live. He live-streamed what he said was a discussion with Twitch star Adin Ross on December 3. The discussion in which the two seemed to negotiate a prospective interview featuring Ye and Ross. Jewish Twitch streamer Ross, who has 7 million followers, declared in the interview that he will “stand up for the Jews.”
Political streamer Hasan Piker hinted that he would take part in the interview on December 5 on Twitch live. Over 2 million people follow Piker on the well-known streaming service owned by Amazon.
Ross and Piker didn’t react when asked for comment. In response, a Twitch official referred NBC News to its policy on hateful conduct. The policy prohibits “behavior motivated by hatred, prejudice or intolerance.” The official said that if a guest on a program hosted by a Twitch creator violated company standards. Then it would probably shut down the feed and suspend the show’s presenter.
Rez said that she would be worried that the interview might incite antisemitic violence even if Ross intended to question Ye.
Antisemitic violence is on the rise
“I would hope, and we would hope, that Aiden Ross’ ratings and follower base are put secondary to the safety of Jews.” According to the Anti-Defamation League, antisemitic violence is on the rise. Additionally, it will hit an all-time high in the United States in 2021.
The Anti-Defamation League’s Center for Technology and Society director, Daniel Kelley, stated that keeping up the discussion with Ye and “even entertaining the idea is damaging in a certain way.”
Since publishing the call with Fuentes, Ross has not commented on the Ye interview. However, online rumors claim that the discussion was postponed. Kelley expressed his hope that Ross and Piker would come forward if such were the case.
Kelley and Rez made it clear that they thought Ye’s antisemitic rhetoric was especially dangerous for Twitch’s user base. Twitch’s user base is primarily young people engaged in online gaming. According to a poll conducted by the Anti-Defamation League and released last week, 15% of young people aged 10 to 17 reported encountering white supremacist ideas while playing internet games in 2022.
Ye’s removal from websites, including Facebook, Twitter, and Twitch, was suggested by Susan Corke. Corke is the director of the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Intelligence Project.
According to Holly Huffnagle, the American Jewish Committee’s director for countering antisemitism, platforms, influencers, and audiences must cease focusing on those who promote antisemitic views if antisemitism is to be appropriately dealt with.