American Jewish Committee CEO Calls Out Kanye West’s Hate Speech

The CEO of the American Jewish Committee, Ted Deutch, is calling for Instagram and Twitter to keep Kanye West‘s “anti-Jewish hate” off of their social media platforms.

On Wednesday (Oct. 12), the American Jewish Committee aired out its grievances regarding Kanye West‘s recent anti-Semitic tirade on social media. In a statement provided to XXL, the committee’s Chief Executive Officer called out Twitter and Instagram after the major social media outlets both allowed Kanye West to return to the popular platforms despite their typically strict guidelines against anything that can be perceived as hate speech. CEO Ted Deutch also opined that Ye’s bout with bipolar disorder is certainly no excuse for lashing out against the Jewish community.

“Although some have tried, there is no rationale, no explaining away Kanye West’s rants on social media for anything else than what they are: vicious antisemitic statements that pose a clear and present danger to every Jewish person,” said Deutch. “With 31 million followers on Twitter and 18 million more on Instagram, West is an influencer in the worst sense of the word. With his vile online comments, West effectively encouraged hatred against Jews at a time when antisemitism and other hate crimes have risen to alarming levels around the world. This cannot be countenanced. West has acknowledged he suffers from bipolar disorder, but mental illness is no excuse for antisemitism. Let’s hope he gets the help he desperately needs. Until then, Twitter, Instagram should follow their own guidelines prohibiting hate speech and keep West’s anti-Jewish hate off their channels.”

The American Jewish Committee CEO’s pointed statement comes days after a now-deleted rant Kanye West posted to Twitter on Saturday (Oct. 8), in which he not only hit Jewish people with a not-so-veiled threat, but the Chicago rapper-producer went so far as to justify his actions.

“I’m a bit sleepy tonight but when I wake up I’m going death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE,” tweeted Ye. “The funny thing is I actually can’t be Anti Semitic because black people are actually Jew also[.] You guys have toyed with me and tried to blackball anyone whoever opposes your agenda[.]”

Hours after the anti-Jewish tweet was published, Twitter removed the social post and briefly locked Kanye out of his account entirely, citing a “violation of Twitter’s policies.” Just prior to Saturday’s damning tweet that sparked an uproar throughout the Jewish community, Ye publicly bashed Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta, Instagram’s parent company, for supposedly giving the Donda 2 artist the boot from the platform.

“Look at this Mark,” tweeted Kanye. “How you gone kick me off instagram[.] You used to be my nigga[.]”

As of this writing, Kanye West‘s social media accounts are currently active on both Instagram and Twitter.

See the Many Times Rappers’ Social Media Accounts Were Suspended