Wiley: Police investigate antisemitic tweets posted from grime star’s social media accounts

Grime artist has been widely condemned for the string of posts made on Twitter and Instagram

Wiley is being investigated by police over antisemitic comments made from his social media accounts (Rex)

Police are investigating a series of posts from the social media accounts of grime star Wiley, which shared antisemitic views and conspiracy theories.

A Metropolitan Police spokesperson told The Independent: “We are aware of reports of alleged antisemitic comments posted on social media and are looking into the matter.”

Wiley, whose real name is Richard Cowie, has received widespread condemnation over the posts from his unverified Twitter account and on Instagram.

One of the posts made on Twitter on 24 July read: “I would challenge the whole world of Jewish community on my own I am not scared I can handle them.”

Wiley has since been dropped by his longtime on-off manager, John Woolf, over the tweets.

Woolf, who is Jewish, wrote on Twitter on Saturday 25 July: “Following Wiley’s antisemitic tweets today we at A-List MGMT have cut all ties with him. There is no place in society for antisemitism.”

A number of MPs have also criticised Wiley, who was awarded an MBE for services to music in 2018, for his remarks.

Labour MP Jess Phillips tweeted: “Just seen all the Wiley stuff. Why on earth have @Twitter left up such blatant antisemitism and hatred? It hits all the dangerous beats, Jews get things you don’t get, they are in control, they think their better... This is dangerous stuff. Surely it should come down.”

John Mann, the independent adviser to the government on antisemitism, called the tweets from Wiley’s account a “violent racist attack” and criticised Twitter for being slow to act.

“There will be consequences including for Twitter allowing his putrid hatred to continue for so long,” he tweeted.

Wiley was temporarily suspended from Twitter but later returned and continued to share inflammatory comments. He has now been given a seven-day Twitter ban.

In a statement about the posts, Twitter said: “Abuse and harassment have no place on our service and we have policies in place – that apply to everyone, everywhere – that address abuse and harassment, violent threats, and hateful conduct.

”If we identify accounts that violate any of these rules, we’ll take enforcement action. This account has been temporarily locked for violating our hateful conduct policy.”