Kanye West: Nazi symbols and the power of platforms

Although Kanye West— now calling himself Ye —is banned from most social media platforms, his new, provocative song is currently going viral on Elon Musk's platform X (formerly Twitter). The video has already garnered millions of views.

The track caused a stir because, among other things, it references the Nazi salute "Heil Hitler." The cover features a swastika, and at the end of the song, Hitler's voice can be heard with excerpts from one of his speeches.

Ye's account had been blocked several times in the past due to anti-Semitic statements by X. Adidas also ended its collaboration with his fashion brand Yeezy after he repeatedly made anti-Semitic statements.

Shortly after the song's release, platforms like Spotify, YouTube, and SoundCloud blocked the song due to its content. Although Ye apparently didn't upload the video to other sites herself, it was still shared millions of times on Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, and other social media platforms.

This shows that big tech companies either don't have enough power—or enough interest—to remove such content quickly and effectively. Once it's online, it can spread rapidly.

In Germany, Yes Video isn't directly visible on your X profile—at least not if you log in from Germany. However, if you change your location to the US via VPN, you can still see it.

Nazi symbols are banned in Germany

The phrase "Heil Hitler" was the official "German" greeting during the Third Reich, during the Hitler regime. The corresponding gesture—right arm extended straight forward, palm facing down—is said to have originated in ancient Rome. In the 1920s, it was adopted by Mussolini, the fascist dictator of Italy.

Hitler later made the salute the trademark of the Nazi Party, the party that ruled Germany from 1933 to 1945.

After the war, the authorities in West Germany decided to ban such gestures and symbols as part of the process of coming to terms with the Nazi era and the Holocaust, in which millions of people were murdered.

Today, the public display or dissemination of Nazi symbols such as the Hitler salute or slogans from the National Socialist era is punishable in Germany. Section 86a of the Criminal Code targets any symbols of "unconstitutional organizations." This includes, for example, swastikas, SS runes, the Hitler salute, and similar Nazi slogans. Anyone violating this law faces up to three years in prison or a fine.

Holocaust denial is also prohibited in Germany – as it is in many other European countries, as well as in Canada and Israel. Even 80 years after the end of the war, the handling of Nazi content remains strictly regulated.

In the USA, Nazi symbols are considered freedom of expression

To counter the rise of right-wing groups and growing anti-Semitism, other countries have also banned hate symbols – some even recently. In Australia, for example, new hate crime laws were passed following a series of anti-Semitic incidents in February. Displaying the Nazi salute now carries a prison sentence of up to twelve months.

In the USA, things are quite different: There, the Constitution strongly protects freedom of speech - and that includes hate speech.

Even though the Hitler salute is one of the most taboo gestures in the Western world, it is not illegal to display it or wear a swastika in the United States.

Since World War II, the salute has been used repeatedly by neo-Nazis and white nationalists. In 2016, for example, a video went viral in which a right-wing extremist group celebrated Donald Trump's election victory with their right arms raised.

Elon Musk's controversial gesture

In January, Elon Musk also came under fire for making a gesture at Donald Trump's inauguration that strongly resembled the Nazi salute. Musk, who openly supports the right-wing populist German AfD party , was accused by many of making the gesture intentionally, which he denied; others said it was an accident.

In response, the activist groups "Led by Donkeys" and the "Center for Political Beauty" posted photos online showing a large picture on the wall of the Tesla factory near Berlin: Musk in this very pose, with the words "Heil Tesla" next to it. The action was intended to show that if German authorities truly considered this a Hitler salute, Musk would have committed a criminal offense under German criminal law.

Musk has already been criticized for anti-Semitic statements. In 2023, he responded to a user on X who claimed that Jews hate white people—a common conspiracy theory among right-wing extremists. Musk's response: "You spoke the truth."

Tech companies struggle with regulation

The new Kanye West video and the frantic attempt to take it offline everywhere have once again brought the policies of major tech companies regarding sensitive content into focus - especially those platforms that belong to Meta, including Facebook, Instagram, Threads and WhatsApp.

In response to the video, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) , a US organization that campaigns against anti-Semitism, hate, and discrimination worldwide, launched a petition calling on Facebook and Instagram to reinstate their policies against disinformation and hate speech, which were significantly weakened earlier this year.

Meta announced in January that it would no longer employ fact checkers. It also relaxed its rules against hate speech and abuse, citing the "recent election," apparently alluding to Donald Trump's election victory.

Nevertheless, according to Meta's own policy, Ye's Hitler message would actually violate the rules, which state that they prohibit "harmful stereotypes historically associated with intimidation," including blackface and Holocaust denial.

However, while Spotify, YouTube, and SoundCloud reacted quickly and blocked Kanye West's song, other platforms—especially X—remain a haven for problematic content.

The case demonstrates that there is no globally uniform system for dealing with hate speech and incitement online. And it raises the question of how much responsibility tech companies must assume.

Adapted from English: Silke Wünsch