March 13, 2023
How Kanye West Helped to Embolden Anti-Semites on College Campuses
By Eleanor Buchanan
The ADL recently tracked around 30 cases of anti-Semitic harassment, vandalism, and banner drops that directly reference Ye, many of which took place at high schools and universities.
By Zurie Pope
In 2020, musician and fashion designer Kanye West—now known as Ye—announced his candidacy for president. The West campaign was defined by consistent use of Christian nationalist language, with policy proposals ranging from “restoring prayer in the classroom,” to supporting “faith-based groups” and turning the United States into a “new Garden of Eden.” West performed poorly. He received around 60,000 votes while appearing on the ballot in only 12 states.
Despite this meager turnout, the West campaign left a mark on the political ecosystem and connected the musician with numerous Republican operatives. Just one day after the 2020 election, he began teasing another run in 2024. But after tweeting that he planned to go “death con 3” on Jewish people in October—and getting suspended on social media because of it—West went on an unhinged, anti-Semitic tirade on Alex Jones’s Infowars. Since then, the Anti-Defamation League has documented around 30 cases of anti-Semitic harassment, vandalism, and banner drops that “directly reference” Ye, many of which took place at high schools and college campuses.
With the help of young white supremacist Nick Fuentes, West has quickly built a following of Gen Z anti-Semites, white nationalists, and neo-fascists. After being kicked out of the Conservative Political Action Conference earlier this month, Fuentes said that “Talmudic Jews,” a white supremacist term for Jewish people, “gotta go.” Students For Ye, a youth activist group created—in name, at least—to support Kanye West’s run for president in 2024 was established in December. The group’s Twitter account boasts the support of “over 1,000 students.” “What America needs now can never be delivered by DC swamp creature consultants and grifting t-shirt salesmen,” the account posted in January. “Our nation can only be healed by a man who serves Christ.”
