Less than a month after Kanye West issued an apology to Jews for his history of antisemitism, the singer/designer made headlines for wearing a shirt featuring the face of famous neo-Nazi Kristian “Varg” Vikernes.
The photo of West was shared by American rapper JPEGMAFIA, who captioned the image, "Can't talk right now. doing hot girl s***."
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West is also accused of modelling the cover for his new album 'Vultures' after art used for Vikernes' band's album. The song 'Vultures' features antisemitic lyrics such as: "How I'm antisemitic? I just f**** a Jewish b****”
Who is Kristian “Varg” Vikernes?
Vikernes is a Norweigan black metal musician known for his antisemitic and pro-Nazi views, according to Page Six.
Vikernes was sentenced to 21 years imprisonment following a murder conviction. He killed his bandmate in 1993 and, while in prison, formed the neo-Nazi organization Heathen Front.
Heathen Front promoted an ideology based on 'odalism' and incorporated white supremacist and antisemitic viewpoints. 'Odalism' is defined as "An exclusive ideology for the tolerance of only your own national political racial religious or cultural origins" by Collins dictionary.
Following his first sentence in Norway, Vikernes moved to france where he was detained but released on grounds of lack of evidence in relation to a planning a "large terrorist attack," The Guardian reported. He was later found guilty of inciting racial hatred in France.
The charge for inciting racial hatred was related to a blog post which attacked both Jews and Muslims, according to Page Six.
Kanye West's apology
In late December, West posted a photo with Hebrew text on his Instagram.
The post read: "I sincerely apologize to the Jewish community for my unplanned outburst caused by my words or actions, it was not my intention to hurt or disrespect, and I deeply regret any pain I may have caused. I am committed to starting with myself and learning from this experience to ensure greater sensitivity and understanding in the future.
"Your forgiveness is important to me and I am committed to making amends and promoting unity.
The post was made in reference to West's public history of antisemitism which began when he threatened to go "death con 3" on Jewish people. He later made a number of controversial statements including "I like Hitler."