The Honours Forfeiture Committee has announced today that it is stripping grime rapper Richard Kylea Cowie, known as Wiley, of his MBE, following calls to do so by Campaign Against Antisemitism.
In 2020 following an antisemitic tirade in the Honours Forfeiture Committee opened a case against the artist, with a view to stripping Wiley of his honour, which he received in 2018.
Comment
Stephen Silverman, Director of Investigations and Enforcement for Campaign Against Antisemitism, said: “Antisemites like Wiley must understand that we will work tirelessly to hold them to account. For four years, we have worked to ensure that Wiley faces ruinous consequences for his unhinged antisemitic tirade, for which he has shown no remorse. Today’s decision is a vindication of that effort.
“We commend the Honours Forfeiture Committee for using its powers to make clear that anti-Jewish racists cannot be role models in our society and will be stripped of their honours. Receiving an honour is not a one-time thing: it carries an ongoing responsibility to set an example to others.
“Due to technical reasons, including legal action that we continue to pursue against Wiley, the forfeiture was delayed. We are grateful to the Honours Forfeiture Committee for its work on this matter.”
Background
In July 2020, Wiley went on an antisemitic tirade on social media, in which he compared Jews to the Ku Klux Klan; called on “black people” to go to “war” with Jews; and claimed that Jews had him and were “snakes”.
Consequently, Wiley was banned from X, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube after using the platforms to incite racial hatred against Jews, following tireless pressure from Campaign Against Antisemitism, which included projecting antisemitic tweets on X’s London headquarters and joining a 48-hour walkout on the platform.
Campaign Against Antisemitism immediately reported Wiley to the Metropolitan Police Service, which discovered that he was not in the UK at the time. Lawyers acting on behalf of Campaign Against Antisemitism then filed a criminal complaint with the Public Prosecution Service in the Netherlands.
Campaign Against Antisemitism also wrote to the Ivors Academy calling for Wiley’s 2019 Ivors Inspiration Award to be rescinded.
Music venue, Village Underground, was due to host the rapper, but have removed Wiley from the event.
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