WASHINGTON – Kanye West said he was renouncing anti-Semitism in a new Instagram post on Saturday in which he wrote that watching actor Jonah Hill in the film 21 Jump Street (2012) made him “like Jewish people again”.

The rapper – known formally as Ye – has shocked and alarmed former supporters in recent months with a series of threats against Jewish people that drove sportswear giant Adidas and other fashion houses to dump him, and saw him locked out of most social media platforms.

His latest Instagram post on Saturday appeared to be an attempt to reverse his earlier declarations of “love” for Nazis and admiration for Adolf Hitler.

“Watching Jonah Hill in 21 Jump Street made me like Jewish people again,” he wrote.

“No one should take anger against one or two individuals and transform that into hatred towards millions of innocent people,” he continued.

“No Christian can be labelled anti-Semite knowing Jesus is Jew. Thank you Jonah Hill I love you.”

Some social media users appeared to greet the declaration with humour, but many were not buying it.

“Doesn’t work that way Kanye. Damage is already done. The seeds of hate you planted already sprouted,” one wrote on Twitter.

The rapper, who has spoken openly about his struggles with mental illness, has seen his business relationships crumble in recent months as his erratic behaviour and extreme speech continue to raise concerns.

Last year, he was also briefly banned from Instagram for violating the social network’s harassment policy amid his acrimonious divorce from reality star Kim Kardashian.

Adidas said earlier this month that it was still weighing what to do with its huge inventory of West’s Yeezy products after it ended their partnership last October.

Potentially not selling the apparel and shoes linked to West would lead to a revenue loss of €1.2 billion (S$1.7 billion), the group said, announcing its 2022 full-year results. AFP