What Kanye West said that made Adidas cut ties with the rapper

The rapper and fashion designer made comments on social media that were widely condemned as anti-Semitic.

Kanye West has been locked out of his Twitter and Instagram accounts after comments that were widely condemned as anti-Semitic. Source: AP / Evan Agostini

Sportswear company Adidas has dropped its partnership with the rapper formerly known as Kanye West over his offensive and anti-Semitic remarks, potentially costing the company hundreds of millions of dollars.

Earlier this month, West, who legally changed his name to Ye last year, made comments on social media that were widely condemned as anti-Semitic and prompted Twitter and Instagram to act.

Ye was locked out of his Instagram account by Facebook parent Meta Platforms. He then moved to Twitter, the next day posting for the first time in two years.

Among the comments, the rapper and fashion designer posted a tweet saying he would go "death con 3 on Jewish people".

The post was removed by Twitter, and his account was also locked due to a violation of its policies, a spokesperson confirmed.

Adidas had been under pressure to cut ties with Ye, as celebrities and others on social media urged the company to act.

After placing its lucrative sneaker deal with the rapper under review, the German sportswear giant said on Tuesday it would immediately stop production of its line of Yeezy products and stop payments to Ye and his companies.

"Adidas does not tolerate antisemitism and any other sort of hate speech," the company said in a statement.

"Ye's recent comments and actions have been unacceptable, hateful and dangerous, and they violate the company's values of diversity and inclusion, mutual respect and fairness."

Kanye West at the Givenchy Spring-Summer 2023 fashion show during the Paris Womenswear Fashion Week in Paris earlier this month. Source: Getty / JULIEN DE ROSA/AFP

The sportswear company said it was expected to take a hit of up to 250 million euros ($390 million) to its net income this year from the move.

Julie Nathan, research director at the Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ) - the peak body representing the Australian Jewish community - described Ye's comments as anti-Semitic, saying they are "even more dangerous" when amplified on such a large social media platform.

Ye has over 31 million followers on Twitter and more than 18 million on Instagram.

What did Ye (Kanye West) say?

Ye posted on Instagram suggesting musician Sean "Diddy" Combs was controlled by Jewish people. The post has since been removed.

The company said temporary restrictions on posting, commenting and messaging were imposed on Ye's Instagram account.

In one of his first posts on Twitter since 2020 - where he was publicly welcomed back by Elon Musk, who has said he would buy Twitter and calls himself a "free speech absolutist" - Ye criticised Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg over his Instagram account being restricted.

He then tweeted: "I’m a bit sleepy tonight but when I wake up I’m going death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE." The tweet appeared to reference a United States military readiness code known as DEFCON.

In the tweet, he said he could not be anti-Semitic "because black people are actually Jew also".

"You guys have toyed with me and tried to black ball anyone whoever opposes your agenda," it said.

That post was removed and his account was locked, a Twitter spokesperson confirmed the day after.

The comments and restrictions come after West stirred controversy by wearing a shirt emblazoned with the words "White Lives Matter" at Paris Fashion Week.

The Anti-Defamation League in the US calls the slogan a hate symbol and a "white supremacist phrase that originated in early 2015 as a racist response to the Black Lives Matter movement".

What is anti-Semitism?

Ms Nathan broadly described anti-Semitism as "hostility towards Jews" which has existed for over 2,000 years. The Holocaust is history's most extreme example.

She said anti-Semitism was "one of the oldest forms of hatred."

The ECAJ's latest 2021 report on anti-Semitism in Australia found a 35 per cent increase in such incidents.

Ms Nathan said incidents can range from threats of violence and verbal abuse on the streets to graffiti, posters and placards, along with other forms occurring online, such as on social media, extremist sites or in mainstream media.

A separate report by Tel Aviv University that was released earlier this year found incidents of anti-Semitism had risen sharply across the world over the past year and several countries, including Australia, experienced a significant increase.

Ms Nathan said anti-Semitism can also manifest at sporting events, and is quite common in Europe. In Sydney, a recent Football Australia investigation found a Sydney United 58 supporter made a "fascist salute" during the Australia Cup final early this month, which resulted in a lifetime ban.

Why are Ye's comments problematic?

Ms Nathan said she viewed Ye's comment — "I'm going death con 3 on Jewish people" — as an apparent "threat of violence against Jews".

She said the now-deleted post also used anti-Semitic tropes, including when Ye said he could not be anti-Semitic "because black people are actually Jew also".

"In many ways, this is denying the Jewish people their right of who we are," she said.

Ms Nathan said Ye's huge Twitter following makes his comments "much more dangerous".

"He has a massive audience. So when someone like him makes anti-Semitic comments - and threats almost - you have a potential 31 million people having read that," she said.

"If someone on the street said something like that, that's one thing. But when someone with a lot of influence and large outreach to people, that's where it becomes more dangerous."

Kanye West, also known as Ye, has had social media accounts restricted. Source: Getty / Ricky Vigil M/GC Images

She said incidents of anti-Semitism can often be denied or downplayed as an overreaction.

Ye has been open about living with bipolar disorder, which involves alternating periods of intense mania (high energy and activity) and severe depression (low energy and mood).

He has previously made erratic posts online. Earlier this year, he was suspended from Instagram for 24 hours after he directed racial slurs towards comedian Trevor Noah.

Who else has distanced their brand from Kanye West?

Ye's talent agency, CAA, dropped him on Monday, and the MRC studio announced on the same day it was shelving a completed documentary about him.

The Balenciaga fashion house cut ties with Ye last week, according to Women's Wear Daily.

JPMorganChase and Ye have ended their business relationship, although the banking breakup was in the works even before Ye's anti-Semitic comments.

In recent weeks, Ye has also ended his company's association with clothing company Gap and has told Bloomberg that he plans to cut ties with his corporate suppliers.

After he was suspended from Twitter and Facebook, Ye offered to buy conservative social network Parler.

With additional reporting by Reuters, AAP and AFP