Grime pioneer Wiley will be stripped of his MBE due to anti-semitic comments made online.
A key figure in grime’s evolution, Wiley balanced chart hits – such as ‘Holiday’ or ‘Wearing My Rolex’ – with a desire to push the sound forwards. The Godfather trilogy saw the East London artist balance those two poles, before his career was derailed by a series of hateful online outbursts.
In July 2020, Wiley went on an antisemitic tirade, comparing Jews to the Ku Klux Klan before calling on “black people” to go to “war” with Jews; Wiley also 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.
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As a consequence, the Honours Forfeiture Committee opened a review into his award, which Wiley received back in 2018.
In a new ruling, the committee has confirmed its findings and withdrawn his MBE.
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.”
Wiley has yet to comment on the ruling.
Related: Anti-Semitism Is Racism – Reflections On Wiley’s Words And Actions
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