Racist rapper Wiley forfeits MBE for ‘bringing the honours system into disrepute’
Musician engaged in days of online hate in 2020, accusing Jews of being racists and cowards and asked if it was antisemitic 'to say Jewish people have power'
The disgraced rapper Wiley has forfeited his MBE for “bringing the honours system into disrepute”.
A list published to the Cabinet Office website said the award had been forfeited this month.
The musician, whose real name is Richard Cowie, had been honoured for his services to music in the December 2017 New Year Honours list.
At the time, the 45-year-old from Bow, east London, said the honour was like receiving “the school grade I wanted and didn’t get”. He told the PA news agency: “I’m honoured to be receiving an MBE. It feels like the school grade I wanted and didn’t get but now I’m finally there.”
After Wiley’s honour, he was banned by social media platforms for posting a stream of antisemitic abuse, including a picture of him dressed as an Orthodox Jew and a fake beard and videos about “Satanic Jews” and “Jewish faces” controlling “black music”.
He posted a video called: “The Jewish Faces that Control Hiphop and Mainstream Black Music” and a clip by notorious antisemitic preacher Louis Farrakhan, called: “I’m here to separate the ‘good Jews’ from the ‘Satanic Jews’”.
Wiley also engaged in days of online hate in July 2020, during which he accused Jewish people of being “racist” and “cowards”, and asked if it was antisemitic “to say Jewish people have power”.
Stephen Silverman, director of investigations and enforcement for Campaign Against Antisemitism, who wrote to the Honours Forfeiture Committee to appeal against the honour, said: “Antisemites like Wiley must understand that we will work tirelessly to hold them to account. For four years, we have worked to ensure that Wiley faces ruinous consequences for his unhinged antisemitic tirade, for which he has shown no remorse. Today’s decision is a vindication of that effort.
“We commend the committee for using its powers to make clear that anti-Jewish racists cannot be role models in our society and will be stripped of their honours. Receiving an honour is not a one-time thing: it carries an ongoing responsibility to set an example to others.
“Due to technical reasons, including legal action that we continue to pursue against Wiley, the forfeiture was delayed. We are grateful to the Honours Forfeiture Committee for its work on this matter.”
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
