The ADL Slams Ye’s ‘Vile’ Antisemitism & Sale of Swastika T-Shirts: ‘There’s No Excuse’
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has strongly condemned Ye, the artist formerly known as Kanye West, following a string of antisemitic remarks he made on X over the weekend, which culminated in the sale of swastika T-shirts on his website.
In a statement released on X on Monday, February 10, the ADL—an organization dedicated to fighting antisemitism and bigotry—called out Ye’s actions as blatant antisemitism. The organization wrote, “As if we needed further proof of Kanye’s antisemitism, he chose to put a single item for sale on his website—a T-shirt emblazoned with a swastika.” They continued, stating that the swastika, adopted by Adolf Hitler as the emblem of the Nazis, continues to symbolize white supremacy and antisemitism today.
The ADL also pointed out the disturbing details of the T-shirt, noting it was labeled “HH-01,” which they interpreted as a coded reference to “Heil Hitler.” The statement concluded, “There’s no excuse for this kind of behavior. Even worse, Kanye advertised his website during the Super Bowl, amplifying it beyond his already massive social media audience.”
Indeed, Ye promoted his Yeezy website during the 2025 Super Bowl broadcast on Sunday, February 9, just as his antisemitic posts were making headlines. In addition to selling the controversial T-shirt, Ye’s rhetoric included self-identifying as a Nazi, calling for the release of Diddy amid allegations of sexual misconduct, and insulting Taylor Swift. His X account was subsequently deleted.
Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO and national director of the ADL, also released a statement on the ADL’s website in response to Ye’s actions. “We know this game all too well,” Greenblatt wrote on Friday, February 7. “Let’s call Ye’s hate-filled public rant for what it really is: a sad attempt for attention that uses Jews as a scapegoat … Words matter. And as we’ve seen too many times before, hateful rhetoric can prompt real-world consequences.”
This is not the first time Ye has been publicly criticized for antisemitic behavior. In October 2022, he posted antisemitic comments on X around the same time he debuted “White Lives Matter” T-shirts during his Yeezy Paris Fashion Week show. The fallout from these actions led to numerous companies severing ties with him, while several public figures distanced themselves from the rapper. Ye also lost his billionaire status but later claimed to have regained it in January.
