Miami leaders demand accountability after antisemitic song played at South Beach nightclub
Miami Beach and Miami-Dade leaders are demanding accountability after a group influencers appeared to celebrate Adolf Hitler inside a South Beach nightclub over the weekend, where an antisemitic song banned in several countries was played.
The incident happened Saturday night at Vendôme nightclub on Washington Avenue. Video circulating online, which CBS News Miami chose not to air, instead publishing still images, shows individuals partying as a song containing the repeated lyric "Heil Hitler" played inside the venue.
The track, recorded by Kanye West, has been banned in Germany and removed or restricted by major U.S. music platforms because of its extremist and antisemitic messaging.
Local leaders quickly condemned what happened.
Miami-Dade Mayor Daniela Levine Cava called the video deeply disturbing.
"Let me be very clear, there is no place in Miami-Dade for antisemitism, Nazi rhetoric or hate of any kind," Levine Cava said. "What matters now is accountability and making sure this never happens again."
Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner echoed that outrage, saying the issue began the moment the individuals were allowed into the club.
"I'm disgusted about it. There's no place for that in Miami Beach. We're a welcoming and diverse city," Meiner said.
"Other club owners told me they've tried to get in before and were turned away. I want to know how they got in, they seemed to be having a great time while the DJ played the music."
Vendôme's ownership released a statement apologizing and distancing itself from the incident.
"The venue and hospitality group do not condone antisemitism, hate speech or prejudice of any kind," the statement read.
"We are conducting an internal review to understand how this requested song came to be played during a bottle parade, and we will take immediate action to hold the responsible parties accountable."
One of the men seen in the video later posted a clip on X defending the moment.
"Why are you saying sorry for? You literally played music that we requested," he said.
CBS News Miami also reached out to Andrew Tate, another individual reported to have been present that night, but did not receive a response.
A Miami Beach resident who says he was inside Vandome when the song played described an uneasy reaction from the crowd.
"It was a little bit odd when they played the song," said Evan Field. "People were giving them weird looks. It just created a really strange vibe."
City leaders say they now want answers about whether nightclub management actively monitors what DJs are playing and whether staff have policies in place to block offensive or extremist music requests.
Both Miami Beach and Miami-Dade officials say they are reviewing what enforcement or regulatory actions may be possible as they work to ensure a similar incident does not happen again.