Wiley stripped of MBE after anti-Semitic outburst

British grime pioneer Wiley has been stripped of his MBE for “bringing the honors system into disrepute”, reports BBC News. The decision by the Honors Forfeitures Committee comes nearly four years after the musician made several anti-Semitic statements online. Wiley was appointed a Member of the Political Department of the Order of the British Empire in 2017.

Immediately after Wiley's outburst, the Campaign Against Antisemitism called for the musician's MBE to be revoked. In a new statement, a spokesman for the British organization said:

Today's decision marks the culmination of nearly four years of dogged persistence. We have worked tirelessly to ensure that Wylie faces devastating consequences for his unrelenting anti-Semitic campaign, for which he has shown no remorse.

Anti-Semitism has no place in the arts and is unbecoming of any self-respecting person. We commend the Honors Forfeitures Committee for using its powers to hold Wiley accountable. In this way, he states that anti-Jewish racists cannot be role models in our society.

For technical reasons, including the legal action we are pursuing against Wiley, the seizure has been delayed. We thank the Honors Forfeiture Committee for its work on this matter.

In the summer of 2020, Wiley posted several hateful comments on Twitter (the social media platform now known as X). He called Jews “cowards” and “snakes” and compared the Jewish community to the Ku Klux Klan. Because of his comments, the musician was banned from Twitter and Instagram, and his manager, John Wolfe, dropped him as a client. “I do not endorse or condone what Wiley said online today in any way shape or form,” Woolf explained.

Shortly after his comments on Twitter, Wylie told Sky News: “I just want to apologize for generalizing and outing the people I've been talking to in the workplace and the workplace I work in.” He added, “My comments should not be directed at all Jews or Jews. I want to apologize for the generalization and I want to apologize for the comments that were taken as anti-Semitic.” However, Wiley returned to social media the following year to share more anti-Semitic sentiments.

In 2021, Wiley was charged with burglary and assault for allegedly breaking into the home and assaulting former kickboxer Ali Jacko.