Cabinet Office to review Wiley’s MBE after anti-Semitic rant

The Honours Forfeiture Committee has launched a case against the rapper

The Cabinet Office has confirmed that Wiley‘s MBE is under review after he faced widespread criticism for launching a shocking anti-Semitic rant last month.

The London rapper was condemned after posting a series of vitriolic messages across Instagram and Twitter, which led to his eventual suspension from the social media sites.

Wiley – real name Richard Cowie – now faces the prospect of being stripped of his MBE after the Cabinet Office responded to calls from the Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA).

In a letter from the Cabinet Office, it was confirmed that the Honours Committee has launched a case focusing on Wiley’s actions.

They added that the Honours Forfeiture Committee “is able to consider cases for a variety of reasons,” including “being found guilty of a criminal offence” and “behaviour that is deemed to bring the honours system into disrepute.”

The musician was appointed a MBE in the 2018 New Years Honours for services to music.

The CAA has also started a separate Parliamentary petition for “racists to be stripped of their honours automatically.”

Wiley
Wiley (Picture: Getty)

In the aftermath of his comments, Wiley has denied being racist in an interview with Sky News.

“I just want to apologise for generalising and going outside of the people who I was talking to within the workspace and workplace I work in,” he said, claiming that a disagreement with his manager, who is Jewish, had prompted the tirade.

“My comments should not have been directed to all Jews or Jewish people. I want to apologise for generalising, and I want to apologise for comments that were looked at as anti-Semitic.”

Wiley’s manager, John Woolf, confirmed on Saturday (July 25) that his A-List Management company had “cut all ties” with the grime artist, saying that “there is no place in society for antisemitism”.

His posts are also being investigated by the Metropolitan Police, who said: “The Met takes all reports of antisemitism extremely seriously. The relevant material is being assessed.”

You May Also Like

Advertisement

TRENDING

Advertisement

More Stories