The American State Department has revoked the US visas of the members of the British rap punk duo Bob Vylan, according to Deputy Secretary Christopher Landau. The strict decision was taken against the musicians “in light of their hateful tirade at Glastonbury, including leading the crown in death chants.”
Over the weekend, Bob Vylan members performed at UK’s Glastonbury Festival’s third-biggest West Holts Stage. They eventually led pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel chants, prompting the massive crowd to join them in their outcry against the Israeli military. Videos circulating online have since shown the rappers shouting “Free, free Palestine,” and “Death, death to the IDF (Israel Defence Forces)” onstage.
Bob Vylan respond to Glastonbury performance reactions
UK’s public broadcaster BBC has since removed the footage of the Bob Vylan performance as police have kicked off a criminal investigation against the rappers. On the other hand, the music duo responded to the backlash and praise they witnessed after their Glastonbury set. “I said what I said,” one of the members wrote in a Sunday (US time) Instagram post, addressing the “messages of both support and hatred.”
“Teaching our children to speak up for the change they want and need is the only way that we make this world a better place,” the post added. “As we grow older and our fire possibly starts to dim under the suffocation of adult life and all its responsibilities, it is incredibly important that we inspire future generations to pick up the torch that was passed to us.”
UK officials condemn anti-Israel rhetoric
In addition to BBC dismissing Bob Vylan’s “antisemitic sentiments” as “utterly unacceptable: having “no place on our airwaves,” government officials have also lambasted the rappers for what they said. While the “deeply disturbed” Israeli Embassy in the UK labelled their vocabulary “inflammatory and hateful,” UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer additionally said “there is no excuse for this kind of appalling hate speech.”
According to NBC News, a Somerset Police detective is leading an investigation to determine if any hate crime statutes were violated during the UK music festival outing. Authorities notified they “will closely consider all appropriate legislation, including relating to hate crimes.”
Meanwhile, America’s Christopher Landau accused them of glorifying hatred and violence now that Bob Vylan members are banned from performing in the United States.
Who exactly are Bob Vylan?
With Bobby Vylan (real name Pascal Robinson-Foster) as the frontman and Bobbie Vylan as the drummer, the controversial band formed in Ipswich, Suffolk, in 2017. They are collectively also known as “the Bobs,” mesh musical elements of the genres punk rock and UK grime/hip-hop. Their debut album “We Live Here” came out in 2020 following a series of early single releases. Their music often highlights lyrical themes battling racism, capitalism, homophobia, toxic masculinity, police violence and more.
In a past Tribune magazine interview, Pascal Robinson-Foster divulged that he formed the band to “wind people up,” bag some victories and get rid of boredom. “I suppose it’s a life of experience under certain power structures that have kept us at a certain pace within the hierarchy of this country,” he said of Bob Vylan tackling political themes with their music, in a separate interaction with the BBC’s Newsbeat in 2023.
He added, “When I’m recounting those lyrics, it can be quite cathartic to play these songs in front of crowds of people, and tell them about my experience… You’re vulnerable… we put ourselves up there and we talk about our life and the lives of people living in our communities, and people are free to enjoy it but they’re also free to disagree with it and they’re also free to heckle us or throw something at us or whatever it might be.”
Aligning with the provocative band being outrightly outspoken about Israel’s onslaught in Gaza, its frontman revealed in a interview with The Guardian last year that he attended his first pro-Palestinian protest at the age of 15.
Maintaining that same tone, even drummer Bobbie Vylan called out politicians in a video statement released in the aftermath of their Glastonbury show grabbing headlines. Saying that officials should be “utterly ashamed” about their “allegiances lie.”
“Regardless of how it was said, calling for an end to the slaughter of innocents is never wrong.”
The Bobs performed ahead of the Irish-language trio Kneecap — yet another group that faced wrath for their anti-Israel callouts at the live show.
Bob Vylan’s agency drops them from artist roster
According to Deadline, UTA has also taken swift action against the rapping duo by dropping them over the weekend after Bobby and Bobbie said “death to the IDF” on stage. Although the agency declined to respond to the development, their website no longer showcases the page dedicated to the band.