American rapper and fashion designer, Kanye West is selling $20 T-shirts featuring swastikas on his website, capping off a week filled with “hateful posts” on his X account, CNN reported on Monday.
The swastika is a symbol associated with the Nazi regime under Adolf Hitler, representing hate, white supremacy, and antisemitism due to its use during the Holocaust. It originally had other meanings, such as “good luck” in some cultures.
Now known as Ye, he promoted his website during the Super Bowl with a local TV ad aired in select markets. In the 30-second spot, he appeared to record the commercial on an iPhone while sitting at a dentist’s office, asking viewers to visit his Yeezy site.
Over the past few days, Ye has posted offensive messages to his 32 million followers, targeting Jews, the LGBTQ+ community, and women, sparking criticism from Jewish groups, celebrities, and anti-hate organizations urging action from X.
Some of West’s posts, including those promoting violence against Jews and containing homophobic comments, were restricted, with warning labels stating “This post may violate X’s rules against hateful conduct.”
West deactivated his account on Sunday, posting, “I’m logging out of Twitter. I appreciate Elon for allowing me to vent. It has been very cathartic to use the world as a sounding board.”
He was previously suspended from Twitter in 2022 for inciting violence, though his account was reinstated in July 2023.
In a recent podcast, West shared that he was misdiagnosed with bipolar disorder and actually has autism, a revelation he believes has helped him better understand himself.
His controversial statements have cost him multiple business partnerships, including with Gap and Adidas. Sources told CNN in 2022 that West had long been fascinated by Hitler and even considered naming an album after the Nazi leader.