Kanye West made a controversial Twitter comeback on Sunday (Nov. 20) after Elon Musk reinstated his account following a ban for antisemitic remarks.
His first post was harmless, with the rapper-turned-fashion-designer checking the status of his account.
“Testing, testing. Seeing if my Twitter is unblocked,” he penned. However, it was his follow-up tweet a few hours later that caused further controversy.
Ye tweeted, “Shalom,” the salutation used by Jewish people meaning peace, before adding smiling face. While some saw it as a message of goodwill, others took it as an insult. Some saw it as a slap in the face to Jewish people following his recent “I’m going death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE,” statement, among other antisemitic comments.
“Well Twitter / Musk have just shown exactly how little they care about Jews and antisemitism,” wrote one user. “For Kanye to be allowed back after being banned for an antisemitic tirade with the word “shalom” is a disgusting slap in our faces.”
Before returning to Twitter, Kanye West announced he was running for president in 2024. Although he hinted as much recently, the news controversial alt-right commentator Milo Yiannopoulos is working with Ye on the campaign caused a stir.
In a new video, Kanye confirms his presidential run before revealing Yiannopoulos is “working on the campaign.” Watch the video below.
However, many were concerned with Kanye’s increasing ties to far-right political figures with troubling views. Milo was accused of condoning pedophilia after his comments about relationships between older and younger men. He was also criticized for his associations with various neo-N### and antisemitic figures, among other concerns.
Check out some of the reactions to Kanye West’s return to social media and his relationship with Milo Yiannopoulos below.
we kept the doors to my synagogue locked this week due to a credible threat against NY synagogues, so forgive me if I don't see the humor in elon musk fav'ing and engaging with Kanye unrepentantly returning with a smug "shalom"
— The Thought Leader (@yagottagotomo) November 20, 2022
context:
— Ye muses and music (@Yemusesandmusic) November 20, 2022
Shalom is a Hebrew word meaning peace, harmony, wholeness, completeness, prosperity, welfare and tranquility and can be used idiomatically to mean both hello and goodbye
after tweeting "defcon 3 on jewish people" kanye tweets shalom, meaning peace, harmony and wholeness… https://t.co/jTuXU6GUwG
— Blaise Keller (@blaisemkeller) November 20, 2022
Elon Musk brings back dozens of banned accounts. Kanye West spotted with Milo & possibly Nick Fuentes. Dave Chappelle switches scripts to make edgy Jewish jokes on live TV.
— An0maly (@LegendaryEnergy) November 20, 2022
Looks like “cancel culture” season is officially over, folks.
Kanye West running for President in 2024 with Nick Fuentes and Milo Yiannopoulos as advisors wasn't on my bingo card
— Real Political Data (@RealPData) November 20, 2022
Kanye hanging out with Milo gotta be the end man you can't just hang out with a p### who even the far right exiled and expect to come back
— Chris (@TheGoblinChrisF) November 18, 2022
The most frustrating thing about Kanye associating with duds like Candace Owens and Milo Yiannopolis is not that theyre conservative its that they clearly couldn't care less about his well-being
— RISING (@DaveTrent9) November 20, 2022