Radar festival acts boycott event after Bob Vylan sacked from line-up
Two bands are boycotting Radar festival after Bob Vylan were sacked from the line-up. The band were removed from the list of performers following their controversial gig at Glastonbury last week.
They were dropped as headliners for the Manchester event after starting chants of "free, free Palestine" and "death, death to the IDF [ Israel Defence Forces]" during their controversial Glastonbury performance last weekend. They also projected a message onto the screen behind them which said: "Free Palestine – United Nations have called it a genocide – the BBC calls it a 'conflict'."
Bob Vylan have been dropped from shows in Germany and France as a result, with their set currently being assessed by police. Bob Vylan's agent United Talent Agency have dropped them and they have also had their US visas revoked.
Radar organiser Catherine Jackson-Smith told NME that the festival did not want to remove Bob Vylan from the line-up. However, she said they felt pressured so then the event could still go ahead.
Two other acts have now dropped out of the festival due to Bob Vylan being axed. The Scratch shared a statement with their fans as they announced they were withdrawing from Radar.
They said they wanted to show "solidarity" with other artists. They wrote: "The censorship and de-platforming of artists speaking out against the ongoing genocide in Gaza is greasy, dangerous and must be challenged.
"To be clear, this decision is not a criticism of Radar Festival. We understand it was an incredibly difficult and complex situation. This is about showing solidarity with Bob Vylan and any artist who may face similar treatment in the future.
"Shadowy government influence and wealthy lobbying groups should not be allowed to dictate who is given a platform and what can be said on it. This situation will only worsen unless we, as artists, support one another and take action."
GENN shared their own statement as they also said they wouldn't be playing at Radar. They said: "As a minority on pretty much every line-up, and with a relatively modest platform, we considered whether we could use our physical presence to speak against the bullying, censorship, and strong-arming demonstrated towards the likes of both Bob Vylan and Radar.
"For our safety and sanity, we've made the final decision to pull out from performing at Radar this weekend. We are devastated to do so after the time, money, and excitement we put towards this performance and can only apologise to anyone who was going to be there to see us.
"Our fight should not be focused on the policing of those who are trying to spread awareness within their means. This is a distraction from a wider picture. Pressure needs to be placed on those who are instigating the censorship of a genocide happening in real time."
Bob Vylan have since defended their performance at Glastonbury. They have said that they are "not for the death of Jews, Arabs or any other race of group of pepole" and that they are wanting the "dismantling of a violent military machine".
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