Why is Bob Vylan free but Lucy Connolly in prison?
No sooner had Bob Vylan whipped the sozzled white kids of Glasto into a frenzy of death-chanting than chin-stroking leftists were offering up pained justifications. 'Death, death to the IDF', the punks and the mob chanted. But they didn't really mean 'death', said those who know better. They don't actually want anyone to die, you muppets! No, this was just an expression of 'fierce support for Palestinians', apparently. It was a cry for the deconstruction of a 'military machine', we were told.
How dumb these excuse-makers now look. How red-faced must they be, these fools that rushed in to give moral cover to a medieval chant for the death of Jewish soldiers. For a new clip has emerged, filmed at Alexandra Palace in May, before Glastonbury, showing Bob Vylan's frontman hollering for the 'death' of 'every single IDF soldier out there'. There's no dolling that up. It is plainly a hateful dream of death for all the soldiers of Zion, for every young person in Israel who by law must serve in the IDF.
The imbecility of Bob Vylan's premature defenders is best summed up in the squirming visage of Owen Jones. He was on Piers Morgan's show on Thursday night repeating the bourgeois left's canard about Bob Vylan being pro-Palestine, not pro-death-for-Israelis. Then Morgan informed him of the new clip. Jones writhed and seethed like someone…well, like someone who's just been caught out rationalising a mob chant for the death of the mostly Jewish youths who serve in the army of the Jewish nation.
We were subjected to so much gaslighting over that grim chant at Glastonbury. Those of us who said it had the pungent whiff of anti-Semitism to it, that it smacked of a fascistic yearning for the death of the Jews' protectors, were branded silly and shrill. But we were right. Whatever that high crowd at Glasto thought they were doing as they slavishly joined the mob clamour for the death of the Jewish State's soldiers, it's clear what Bob Vylan intended to say: that 'every single' soldier of Israel should ideally die.
It is galling in the extreme to see self-styled anti-racists make excuses for such a brazenly anti-Jewish chant. Most of the IDF's soldiers are Jews. Their singular task is to defend the Jewish homeland from the armies of anti-Semites that surround it. When you chant 'Death to the IDF', when you openly dream of the demise of 'every single' IDF soldier, you are calling for the Jews of Israel to be left to the mercy of neo-fascist militias that long to murder them. If that isn't anti-Semitic, what the hell is?
It's pretty clear now that Bob Vylan's chants, so enthusiastically echoed by their fans, are worse than what Lucy Connolly said. She is currently languishing in a jail cell for that disgusting tweet she posted during the Southport riots. 'Set fire to all the fucking hotels full of the bastards for all I care', she said of the hotels housing migrants. It was genuinely repellent. And yet now we have Bob Vylan openly calling for the deaths of greater numbers of people, most of them Jews.
'Every single IDF soldier out there' – presumably that includes the hundreds of British-born Jews who have served or are currently serving in the IDF? And the IDF's 465,000 reserve personnel as well as its 170,000 active personnel? And the IDF old guard who are sometimes invited to give speeches on campuses in the UK? Would any Jew who has served in the armed forces of their beloved ancient homeland be safe under this grotesque regime of 'Death to the IDF' that Bob Vylan and the left seem so rabidly keen to institute?
Look, I'm on the same page as Toby Young: I don't want anyone to be punished and certainly not jailed for speech 'crimes'. And yet some are and some are not. Lucy Connolly rots in jail for a violent-minded comment about migrants while Bob Vylan and thousands of others roam free, despite making violent-minded comments about the mostly Jewish defenders of the State of Israel. Fairness dictates that either both get banged up, or neither do. My preference is very firmly for the latter. I guess we're about to find out whether Keir Starmer's Britain is institutionally anti-Semitic.
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Scottish Sun
2 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Kneecap chants ‘f*** Keir Starmer' in another foul rant just days after sparking police probe at Glastonbury
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Telegraph
9 hours ago
- Telegraph
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Daily Record
10 hours ago
- Daily Record
TRNSMT act Wet Leg says Kneecap and Bob Vylan Glastonbury reaction is 'messed up'
The singer, who will play in Glasgow on Friday, said "seeing how much of that pro-Palestine messaging was cut from the BBC footage" was "chilling". TRNSMT 2025 act and Wet Leg singer Rhian Teasdale says she feels the reaction to Kneecap and Bob Vylan's sets at Glastonbury Festival is "messed up". The indie rocker's band played on Friday afternoon at the festival, where Bob Vylan and Kneecap's Saturday sets are being investigated by Avon and Somerset Police to decide whether any offences were committed. Bobby Vylan, of Bob Vylan, led crowds on the festival's West Holts Stage in chants of " death, death to the IDF (Israel Defence Forces)", before a member of Irish rap trio Kneecap joked that fans should "start a riot" outside his bandmate's upcoming court appearance, and led the crowd on chants of "f*** Keir Starmer". Teasdale, who will perform in Glasgow Green on Friday, July 11, told PA News Agency she was concerned by the fallout from their sets, and added she feels it is "powerful" for artists to speak up. The singer told PA: "It shouldn't have to be considered brave to call out a genocide — that should be the absolute bare minimum. "But the fact that people are being punished, silenced, or villainised for doing so shows just how messed up things are. I don't think it's brave to speak out — I think it's necessary. "What's scary is how dangerous or controversial that's being made to seem. The media has focused so much on bands like Bob Vylan and Kneecap, but they weren't the only ones speaking out. "Every other artist showed support for Palestine across the weekend. So why are these two being singled out? It feels like a deliberate attempt to create scapegoats, to distract from the actual message - which is simply calling out a genocide." Kneecap were pulled from the TRNSMT line-up with Police Scotland citing "safety concerns". The force previously said the performance, due to take place on July 11, would require "a significant policing operation". Kneecap said they had played in Glasgow "many times with no issues - ever," adding: "Make of that what you will". The trio made up of Liam Og O Hannaigh (Mo Chara), JJ Ó Dochartaigh (aDJ Provai) and Naoise O Caireallain (Moglai Bap), are playing Glasgow's O2 Academy on Tuesday, July 8 instead. Last month, Mo Chara was released on bail after facing criminal charges for allegedly supporting a proscribed terrorist organisation. He is accused of displaying a flag in support of Hezbollah at a gig in November last year. Teasdale went on: "Coming out of the Glastonbury bubble and seeing how much of that pro-Palestine messaging was cut from the BBC footage was honestly chilling. It shows how reality can be edited, distorted. "That level of control over public perception feels dystopian, and it's exactly why speaking out, even imperfectly, is so important right now." Bob Vylan's set at the festival, which was livestreamed at the time, is not available on iPlayer, and after the festival the BBC said it would no longer livestream acts it deems "high risk". Other acts to show their support for Palestine across the weekend included Wolf Alice, CMAT, and Gurriers. Teasdale says she wants to "do better" at speaking up about important issues. "Speaking about Palestine on stage isn't something I take lightly... but I do feel a huge responsibility to get it right," she went on. 'I don't want to dilute the message or speak over the people whose voices actually need to be heard. That tension can make it hard to know exactly what to say, but the alternative - saying nothing - isn't acceptable either.' Punk duo Bob Vylan issued a statement on Tuesday claiming they were being "targeted for speaking up". The pair have also had their US visas revoked before their tour later this year, were pulled from their Saturday headline slot at Radar festival in Manchester, and from an upcoming performance at a German music venue. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.
