Kanye West reiterates ‘White Lives Matter’ message: “They do”

nme.com:

Kanye West has issued another response following backlash over him wearing a “White Lives Matter” shirt this weekend, insisting: “They do.”The rapper faced controversy after he wore the shirt emblazoned with the slogan when he introduced his latest Yeezy line after making his catwalk debut at Balenciaga’s Paris Fashion Week show.Earlier this week, Ye doubled down on his views, writing on his Instagram Stories that the Black Lives Matter movement “was a scam”.

He added: “Now it’s over…you’re welcome”.Now, he has responded with a new Instagram post which featured a picture of the long-sleeved tee in question: “Here’s my latest response when people ask me why I made a tee that says white lives matter… THEY DO.”A post shared by Ye (@kanyewest)As Rolling Stone noted, the phrase – an appropriation of the Black Lives Matter slogan – has been adopted by white supremacist organisations in recent years, and is categorised by the Anti-Defamation League as a hate slogan.At the Paris event, West was pictured with conservative commentator Candice Owens – who has been critical of the Black Lives Matter movement – wearing a shirt with the same slogan.In another Instagram post shared yesterday (October 5), the rapper questioned where critics of his ‘White Lives Matter’ shirt were when he claimed he was unable to see his children after his split with ex-wife Kim Kardashian.“So why did everyone feel so free to attack me about my t-shirt but Candace Owens was the only public figure to say that it was wrong for the Kardashians to keep me from seeing my daughter,” he wrote to Instagram.