Turkey has raised concerns over a Kanye West concert held in Istanbul over the weekend that drew an estimated 120,000 attendees, with officials saying parts of the performance offended the country’s religious and cultural sensitivities.
Presidential chief adviser Oktay Saral said on X that the concert included “rhetoric and symbols that run counter to our faith and civilizational values” and that the reaction from attendees chanting “I am a God” warranted further scrutiny. The phrase is the title of a 2013 Kanye West song that was performed at the event.
Saral also criticized the participation of individuals he described as promoting “occultism and dark symbols,” referring to French designer Michèle Lamy, who was present during the show.
Saral said the concert went beyond a music performance and urged the Turkish tourism ministry to exercise greater oversight over events he said may affect the country’s cultural and religious sensitivities. He also said elements of society had taken part in what he described as a “cultural siege.”
Kanye West has faced multiple concert cancellations in Europe in recent years following public controversy over antisemitic remarks. Several countries, including the United Kingdom, France, Poland, and Italy, have previously restricted or cancelled his scheduled performances.
In January, West placed a full-page advertisement in The Wall Street Journal stating, “I am not a Nazi or an antisemite” and attributing past behavior to a bipolar disorder diagnosis.
West is scheduled to perform in the Netherlands on June 6 and 8, in Tirana on July 11, and in Prague on July 25.
