Bob Vylan's ban by US is message to those promoting antisemitism
The U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, Christopher Landau, posted on social media that the band's visas were revoked because of what he called a "hateful tirade" at the Glastonbury music festival. At the festival, the band's frontman had led the crowd in chanting "Death to the IDF" (Israel Defense Forces). British police are investigating whether a crime was committed during that performance.
The band denies any antisemitism and says they are being punished for speaking out against the war in Gaza. They said they are being "targeted for speaking up."
The U.S. government does not normally discuss individual visa decisions publicly. Laws like the Immigration and Nationality Act and privacy rules usually prevent this. Exceptions are sometimes made for foreign officials or their families when they are banned for corruption or human rights issues.
But the Trump administration has been more public when it comes to revoking visas of people accused of supporting hate or violence, especially if the speech is seen as antisemitic or pro-militant.
State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said the administration wants to show it has firm rules for who is allowed to enter the country. She said, "Foreigners who glorify violence and hatred are not welcome visitors." She explained that the band's public behavior crossed a line, so the government decided to make their visa cancellation public.
This case is part of a broader effort to cancel visas of people accused of antisemitic or pro-Hamas activity. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said earlier this year that about 300 visas had already been cancelled for such reasons, and that more would follow. Most of those cases were not made public.
One that was publicized involved Rumeysa Ozturk, a student in Massachusetts. She was detained after writing an article criticizing Tufts University for not condemning Israeli actions in Gaza. Her visa was cancelled, and U.S. officials said her stay in the country would have adverse effects on foreign policy.
Public visa bans for political reasons are not new in the U.S. In the past, famous people like actor Charlie Chaplin in the 1950s and singer John Lennon in the 1970s also faced visa problems.
Amnesty International said in 2020 that the U.S. has a long history of using visa bans to block people with political views the government disagrees with, especially during the Cold War.
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