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Time of India
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Why Kanye West's pro-Hitler song is illegal in Germany
File Photo Despite being banned on most social media platforms, a provocative new single by Ye, the rapper also known as Kanye West , remains on Elon Musk 's X platform, where it has millions of views. Ye's latest track references the words of the Nazi salute "Heil Hitler " ("Hail Hitler"), which was used while Adolf Hitler was in power. The single's artwork resembles a swastika and the song ends with a lengthy sample from a Hitler speech. West has been blocked multiple times from X for antisemitic content, and recently lost his Yeezy-brand contract with Adidas after posting a series of antisemitic rants. Quickly after its release, platforms including Spotify, YouTube and Soundcloud worked to ban the single due to its antisemitic content. Although the video appears to not to have been uploaded by the artist to other platforms, his celebrity status has meant the video has been sampled and shared by users on Facebook, Instagram and Reddit, among other platforms, millions of times. It shows just how little power big tech companies seem to have — or want to put into removing offensive content once it's already been published. Nazi symbols prohibited in Germany From Germany, Ye's video cannot be directly seen on his X profile, even though the posts were still available on May 13 (changing one's location to the USA with a VPN, for example, makes the posts visible again). The salute "Heil Hitler" was used as an official greeting in Nazi Germany. The accompanying arm movement, which is made with the right arm extended and the palm facing down, is said to have its origins in ancient Rome and was then adopted by fascist dictator Benito Mussolini in the 1920s. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Scarlett Johansson, 40, Shows Off Her Real Size In A New Vacation Photos 33 Bridges Undo Later, Hitler made it a signature of the Nazi Party, which ruled Germany from 1933 until 1945. Despite being banned on most social media platforms, a provocative new single by Ye, the rapper also known as Kanye West, remains on Elon Musk's X platform, where it has millions of views. Ye's latest track references the words of the Nazi salute "Heil Hitler" ("Hail Hitler"), which was used while Adolf Hitler was in power. The single's artwork resembles a swastika and the song ends with a lengthy sample from a Hitler speech. West has been blocked multiple times from X for antisemitic content, and recently lost his Yeezy-brand contract with Adidas after posting a series of antisemitic rants. Quickly after its release, platforms including Spotify, YouTube and Soundcloud worked to ban the single due to its antisemitic content. Although the video appears to not to have been uploaded by the artist to other platforms, his celebrity status has meant the video has been sampled and shared by users on Facebook, Instagram and Reddit, among other platforms, millions of times. It shows just how little power big tech companies seem to have — or want to put into removing offensive content once it's already been published. Nazi symbols prohibited in Germany From Germany, Ye's video cannot be directly seen on his X profile, even though the posts were still available on May 13 (changing one's location to the USA with a VPN, for example, makes the posts visible again). The salute "Heil Hitler" was used as an official greeting in Nazi Germany. The accompanying arm movement, which is made with the right arm extended and the palm facing down, is said to have its origins in ancient Rome and was then adopted by fascist dictator Benito Mussolini in the 1920s. Later, Hitler made it a signature of the Nazi Party, which ruled Germany from 1933 until 1945. Nazi symbols not banned in the US To counter the rise of far-right groups and growing antisemitism, other countries have also banned hate symbols — some even recently. In February, Australia passed an anti-hate crime law that includes minimum sentences for displaying hate symbols, including the Nazi salute. Meanwhile, in the US, freedom of speech is heavily protected by the US Constitution's first amendment — and that includes hate speech. Even though it remains one of the most taboo gestures of the Western world, it is not illegal to perform a Nazi salute or wear a swastika in the United States. Since World War II, the salute has often been used by neo-Nazis and white nationalists. In 2016, for example, a shocking video showed a white supremacist group supporting Donald Trump 's 2016 Presidential win by raising their arms in an apparent Nazi-style salute. In January, Elon Musk, who openly supports Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany party, came under scrutiny for performing what looked like a Nazi-style salute at US President Donald Trump's inauguration. Many claimed it was an accidental likeness, while others said it was intentional. In response, activists from campaign group Led by Donkeys projected an image on his Tesla factory just outside of Berlin showing Musk doing the gesture, with the title appearing as "Heil Tesla." The group felt that if the German authorities considered the symbol to be illegal according to the country's Criminal Code, it would prove Musk had actually done the gesture. Musk has come under fire for expressing antisemitic views in recent years, including responding to a user on X in 2023 who accused Jews of hating white people, a conspiracy theory popular among white supremacists. "You have said the actual truth," Musk tweeted in a reply to the user. Lack of tech company regulation The recent Kanye West video and the scramble to take it down have caused a renewed look at the content policies of major tech companies, particularly the social media platforms owned by Meta. In light of the video, the Anti-Defamation League, a US-based, international non-governmental organization that combats antisemitism, bigotry and discrimination, started a petition asking Facebook and Instagram to "reinstate guidelines meant to protect users from disinformation and hate" on Facebook and Instagram in response to changes made earlier this year. Meta announced in January they would no longer employ fact-checkers, and loosened rules around hate speech and abuse in light of "recent elections" — a reference to Donald Trump's presidential win. Yet, the pro-Hitler rhetoric spouted by West's latest single still falls under the company's rule of prohibiting "harmful stereotypes historically linked to intimidation, including Blackface and Holocaust denial."
New York Post
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Spotify, SoundCloud struggle to remove Kanye West song glorifying Hitler, which has racked up millions of views on X
Rapper Kanye West dropped an antisemitic song that has amassed millions of views on X as music streaming services Spotify and SoundCloud struggle to remove the hate-filled track. West, who lost his lucrative Yeezy-brand contract with Adidas after a series of vile antisemitic rants, glorifies Adolf Hitler in his new song, titled 'Heil Hitler.' It was first shared on X (formerly Twitter), along with a companion track called 'WW3,' on Thursday. As of Monday morning, a video for the song has amassed over 8.2 million views on the Elon Musk-owned social media platform. Advertisement 5 Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, released a song praising Hitler. Corbis via Getty Images The clip of West, who has changed his name to Ye, was widely amplified by a network of users and right-wing influencers, Some posts merged the song with archival footage of Hitler. Meanwhile, a clip of controversial social media influencer Andrew Tate playing it in his car has garnered over 3 million views on X. 5 As of Monday morning, the song 'Heil Hitler' amassed more than 8.2 million views. Advertisement Despite the song's overt references to the Nazi leader and the Holocaust, Ye's posts remained active on X, which has scrapped its content moderation policies since Musk acquired the company in late 2022. Ye's X account is verified as an 'organization,' potentially granting it monetization privileges. It remains unclear whether West is profiting from these posts. The Post reached out to X, Spotify and SoundCloud for comment. Advertisement The track's reach highlights the fragmented and inconsistent state of content moderation in today's digital landscape. While platforms like Spotify and SoundCloud initially hosted versions of the song, both appeared to remove it following public backlash. Still, users found ways around those efforts — re-uploading cover versions or embedding the music within podcasts. 5 West also released a companion song called 'WW3' which was available on Spotify. Spotify Advertisement NBC News identified 27 alternate versions of the song on SoundCloud and noted that 'WW3' remains available on Spotify as of Monday — despite its similarly inflammatory content. On Reddit, versions of both songs were shared in subreddits devoted to Ye and other rappers. A Reddit spokesperson told NBC News the platform is actively removing uploads and related posts, stating, 'Hate and antisemitism have absolutely no place on Reddit. We have strict rules against hateful content… In line with our sitewide rules, we are removing the song and any celebration of its message.' The Anti-Defamation League also intervened, launching a petition urging Spotify to remove the track. 'Spotify has been mostly radio silent to outreach from ADL for the majority of 2025, so we felt it was important to activate our volunteer base,' said Daniel Kelley, the ADL's director of strategy and operations. 5 Platforms like Spotify have banned the song — only for it to crop up after being uploaded by users. REUTERS While Spotify did not respond, Kelley noted that the song appeared to have been taken down from the platform — though alternate uploads persist. Platforms including Meta, TikTok and YouTube — all of which have policies prohibiting hate speech and the glorification of genocide — also saw reuploads of the track. Advertisement 'We removed the content and will continue to take down reuploads,' a YouTube spokesperson said, adding that Ye's affiliated accounts are not eligible for monetization. On Friday, Ye announced that the song had found a new home on an obscure music app called Scrybe, which promotes itself as a platform for indie artists. The app now lists Ye's music as 'trending.' Advertisement 5 Ye has made several antisemitic statements in recent years, leading to a loss of sponsorships. Instagram/@piersmorgan Scrybe did not respond to requests for comment. Since 2022, Ye has made a series of antisemitic remarks — triggering global backlash and the loss of major business partnerships. His controversies began with threatening to go 'death con 3 on Jewish people' on social media, followed by a series of interviews in which he praised Hitler and made conspiracy-laden claims about Jews controlling media and finance. Advertisement In 2023 and 2024, Ye continued posting antisemitic content, including memes and statements downplaying the Holocaust. He was banned or restricted from several platforms but often returned or found alternative venues to share his views.
