Summary
The Incident
In October 2022, the white supremacist group Goyim Defense League hung banners over Los Angeles' 405 freeway reading "
Kanye was right about the Jews," referencing the rapper's recent antisemitic statements. Members of the group, including founder Jon Minadeo, were photographed giving what appeared to be Nazi salutes while displaying their media platform's name on a second banner.
Context and Reactions
This demonstration followed Kanye West's controversial comments about Jewish people on
social media and in
interviews. The incident gained significant attention online, with Jewish activist Elad Nehorai and others expressing concern that sharing images of the banners inadvertently amplified the group's message. The article notes this was one of several public antisemitic demonstrations conducted by the group, which previously displayed similar banners in Los Angeles (2020) and Austin, Texas (2021).
Corporate Connection
The article discusses Adidas's response to West's statements, noting that while the company had placed its contract with him "under review," it had not severed ties despite calls to do so from organizations including the Anti-Defamation League. West's collaboration reportedly generated $2 billion annually for Adidas, approximately 10% of the company's revenue, with West having
claimed that Adidas would not drop him despite his antisemitic statements.*There may be errors on this page.
