French rapper Médine has been pulled from the Les Solidarités festival lineup in Namur. The move comes amid a controversy surrounding an antisemitic tweet.
“Despite the artist’s apologies and explanations, a wave of reactions, sometimes hateful, sometimes more balanced, swept across the internet and were relayed by the press,” the festival said.
“Les Solidarités has always claimed to be a family festival, open to diversity and exchange between people and genres. The ambition of this 9th edition is to make a success of a fine event on a brand new location and not to suffer a controversy which is out of our control,” continues the organisation.
In consultation with the Mayor of the City of Namur, Maxime Prévot, and several partners, and after contacting the artist’s representatives, it was decided to cancel the rapper’s appearance.
The decision was taken “with a certain amount of consternation, but in the interests of keeping the peace,” explain the organisers.
“In doing so, we intend to ensure that Solidarités does not serve as an enforcer for certain people at the risk of tarnishing an edition that promises to be under the best of intentions,” the organisers conclude.
