Judge blocks Jewish group's attempt to stop Kanye West gigs

Kanye West will be allowed to perform two gigs in the Netherlands after a judge shot down a Jewish group's attempt to block them.

The US rapper, known as Ye, has already been stopped from performing in the UK, Poland and Italy this year.

He has attracted widespread controversy in recent years for a series of antisemitic remarks, including celebrating Nazism and voicing admiration for Adolf Hitler.

Dutch authorities were under pressure to take similarly tough action by cancelling concerts planned for the city of Arnhem this weekend, with organisers claiming 70,000 tickets have been sold.

The Central Jewish Council filed an emergency lawsuit on Tuesday to ban West from the country, but a judge in Amsterdam has rejected it.

"There are no indications that West's presence in the coming days will lead to concrete public order dangers," a statement from the court said.

The ruling was criticised by the council, which said: "The feeling we are getting is that it is okay if you are antisemitic."

The lawsuit came after the Dutch government's immigration minister, Bart van den Brink, said there was no legal basis for blocking West from entering the country.

While his remarks were "reprehensible", there was "no reason to bar him", he said.

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West, 48, issued a public apology for his past behaviour in January, blaming his behaviour on having bipolar-1 disorder and saying he had "lost touch with reality".

Before the UK government blocked him earlier this year, which led to the cancellation of the Wireless Festival he had been booked to headline, West said he hoped to "present a show of change, bringing unity, peace and love".

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