Kanye West doubles down amid ‘White Lives Matter’ clothing backlash: ‘THEY DO’

Kanye West continued to defend his "White Lives Matter" apparel this week after unveiling it during his Yeezy fashion show in Paris on Monday. On Wednesday, he posted a photo of a

black sweatshirt from his line with "WHITE LIVES MATTER" written in white on the back and a picture of Pope John Paul II on the front. "Here’s my latest response when people ask

me why I made a tee that says white lives matter… THEY DO," he captioned the post. He also posted an interview with professor Tatishe M. Nteta who said West is "not alone"

among Black Americans in his feelings about the Black Lives Matter movement but also claimed his actions could cause "harm," calling it a "White supremacist mantra." GIGI HADID,

KHLOE KARDASHIAN RIP KANYE WEST FOR ATTACKING FASHION EDITOR OVER ‘WHITE LIVES MATTER’ SHIRT  Kanye West aka Ye is seen wearing a Balenciaga boxing mouthguard, outside

Givenchy, during Paris Fashion Week - Womenswear Spring/Summer 2023 - Day Seven on October 02, 2022 in Paris, France.  (Photo by Edward Berthelot/GC Images via Getty Images)Along

with a photo of the article, West wrote, "BLACK ACADEMICS ARE ON MY SIDE." The "Stronger" rapper has faced widespread criticism over the "White Lives Matter" slogan. The

Anti-Defamation League called it a "hate slogan," citing its use by the KKK. Jaden Smith, Will Smith’s son, reportedly left the show immediately after seeing the writing and

after posted a series of apparently related tweets, including ones that said "Black Lives Matter," "We Demand A More Progressive Future" and "Follow Your Own Morals Instead Of

People." KANYE WEARS 'WHITE LIVES MATTER' SHIRT TO YEEZY FASHION SHOW IN PARIS, JOINED BY CANDACE OWENSKendall Jenner, West’s former sister-in-law when he was married to Kim

Kardashian, also liked several of Smith’s tweets. Model Gigi Hadid called West a "bully" and wrote "You wish u had a percentage of her intellect" on Instagram after he wrote

since-deleted derisive posts of her friend Vogue fashion editor Gabriella Karefa-Johnson. Hailey Bieber also defended her. West later posted that he and "my sister" Karefa-Johnson

had apologized to each other for what they said. The editor had criticized the slogan. CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTERThe rapper-turned designer had his

defenders too. Fellow rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs called West a "super free thinker" and said his clothing line has been "misconstrued." Conservative commentator Candace Owens

appeared at his show and wore a "White Lives Matter" shirt. West is no stranger to controversy, including about racism. He faced a similar backlash in 2018 when he claimed that