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'Rescinding this honor was appropriate': Kanye West honorary SAIC degree revoked after anti-Semitic remarks

'This was a difficult decision to make,' said president of The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) adding that its the institution's first-ever withdrawal of a degree in eighty-year history

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS: The School of the Art Institute of Chicago has withdrawn Kanye West's honorary degree in response to his controversial statements towards the Jewish and black communities. SAIC president Elissa Tenny stated in a letter that the rapper "has exhibited disturbing behaviors and made dangerous statements that do not align with our community values".

According to TMZ, Tenny stated in the letter that West's "anti-Black, antisemitic, and incendiary statements" are "disgusting and condemnable" and is "painful for our entire community." The private art school awards honorary degrees to individuals who significantly contribute to "art and culture". West was awarded honorary doctorate in 2015 by the school.

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The school made the decision to revoke the Grammy winner's degree after consulting with the Board of Governors. The SAIC president noted, "This was a difficult decision to make, and one that has been deliberated thoroughly," adding that this is the first time a degree has been revoked in the school's eighty-year existence.

Tenny added, "Though we firmly believe in the right to express a diversity of opinions and beliefs, the severity of his behavior made it clear that rescinding this honor was appropriate." SAIC has been under increasing criticism from its students in recent weeks, who created an online petition calling for West's credentials to be withdrawn. More than 4,100 people signed the petition for the group.

In response to SAIC's decision to rescind Ye's honorary degree, several fans expressed their views on Twitter. One fan wrote, "fair enough tbh, hope kanye can drop the nazi stuff and just keep making great music." Another fan tweeted, "I agree with them. I don't know who he is but the real Kanye died yrs ago."

One individual happy about this news wrote, "Yay!!! This is great news. Antisemitism is terrible! Kanye wanting to kill the Jews is just horrifying!" This other person wrote, "A big thank you to my alma mater for eventually doing the right thing. I mean this sincerely and sarcastically, simultaneously. It shouldn't have taken so long, @saic_news, but at least you got it done."

The 'All of the Lights' rapper has been in the news since the beginning of October for his anti-Semitic comments on social media, including one now-deleted tweet in which he threatened to commit "death con 3" on Jews. And just last week, West praised Adolf Hitler, declaring that he had discovered "good things" in the former leader of Nazi Germany.

Disclaimer: This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.