The U.S. State Department on Monday revoked the visas for the members of the Bob Vylan band, who are facing a criminal probe in the United Kingdom for leading chants there of “death to the IDF.”
This was “in light of their hateful tirade at [the] Glastonbury [music festival], including leading the crowd in death chants,” Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said in a post on X on Monday. “Foreigners who glorify violence and hatred are not welcome visitors to our country,” he added. Bob Vylan had a U.S. tour lined up in November.
Separately, police have initiated a criminal investigation into the duo’s actions and those of another band, Kneecap, and the talent agency that represented Bob Vylan reportedly dropped them.
Their agency, United Talent Agency, removed their page from the agency’s website, the LBC radio station reported on Monday.
A spokesperson for the BBC said the broadcaster, which removed the Bob Vylan act from its streaming service, should have also dropped its live broadcast.
“The team were dealing with a live situation, but with hindsight, we should have pulled the stream during the performance. We regret this did not happen,” the Variety online edition quoted a BBC spokesperson as saying on Monday. “The BBC respects freedom of expression but stands firmly against incitement to violence.”
Glastonbury is the largest music festival in the United Kingdom, attracting some 200,000 revelers. The Bob Vylan duo asked thousands of attendees to chant “Death to the IDF,” echoing a performer who also told them to “not give up your dreams” even when they’re “working for Zionists.”
A British government spokesperson condemned the rhetoric used on stage by Bobby Vylan, which was aired on the BBC, as did the organizers of the Glastonbury music festival on Sunday.
(The Bob Vylan punk duo consists of singer/guitarist Bobby Vylan and drummer Bobbie Vylan. They use stage names to hide their real names.)
Also on Monday, Avon and Somerset Police said in a statement that, “Video footage and audio from Bob Vylan and Kneecap’s performances at Glastonbury Festival on Saturday has been reviewed” and “This has been recorded as a public order incident at this time while our enquiries are at an early stage.”
The statement did not specify the reason that Kneecap is under investigation.
Amichai Chikli, Israel’s minister for Diaspora Affairs and combating antisemitism, cited the hate-fest as further evidence for why British Jews should leave Britain.
Bobby Vylan also encouraged the crowd at Glastonbury, in Somerset, southwestern England, to chant “Free Palestine.” Thousands chanted this and “Death to the IDF” back, some waving PLO and Lebanese flags.
“Hell, yeah, from the river to the sea, Palestine must be, will be, inshallah, free,” he added, using the Arabic word for “God willing.”
‘Song: Lynch Your Leaders’
The BBC neither broadcast nor streamed the Glastonbury performance of Kneecap, a rap band whose performer, Liam O’Hanna, is on trial for wearing a Hezbollah flag on stage, which is a proscribed terrorist group in the United Kingdom.
Organizers condemned the duo’s actions.
Bob Vylan also made a reference on stage to a “Zionist” former boss, which critics deemed antisemitic.
Before chanting, Vylan shared an anecdote with the audience about having worked for a record label where his boss “would speak very strongly about his support for Israel.” The same man, whom Vylan did not name, had signed a letter condemning Kneecap, Vylan said.
“Who do I see on that f**king list of names but that bald-headed c**t I used to f**king work for,” Vyland told the crowd. “So look, we’ve done it all, all right? From working in bars to working for f**king Zionists. And if we can do this, I promise you, you can do absolutely anything that you put your mind to.”
Several critics said the reference to Zionists was code for Jews. “Quite simply racist. Imagine if it was any other minority. Turning Glastonbury into a cesspit. 95% of Jews are Zionists. We know what you mean when you come out with your inciting filth, Bob Vylan,” the group Stop the Hate–Leeds wrote on its X account.
Bob Vylan has several albums with controversial titles, including “England’s Ending” and “Lynch Your Leaders,” and a song whose refrain goes: “Heard you want your country back? Hah, shut the f**k up.”