US revokes Bob Vylan visas after death chant at Glastonbury Festival
Punk-rap duo Bob Vylan have had their US visas revoked after their Glastonbury Festival performance, where the English group led the crowd in chants against the Israeli military.
Singer Bobby Vylan chanted: 'Death, death to the IDF,' referring to the Israel army, and called for the liberation of Palestine.
Deputy US Secretary of State Christopher Landau said this was a 'hateful tirade' as he explained why the duo's visas had been revoked. They had been due to tour the US this year.
'Foreigners who glorify violence and hatred are not welcome visitors to our country,' Mr Landau wrote on X.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has condemned what he called 'appalling hate speech'.
Police said they have launched a criminal investigation into the performance by Bob Vylan, and another group playing at Glastonbury, Kneecap. A Kneecap member said on stage that 'Israel are war criminals'.
'There is no place in our society for hate,' the police said in a statement.
The BBC, which broadcast Bob Vylan's performance, is facing a backlash. It has removed the recorded performance from its online Glastonbury coverage.
Bobby Vylan had initially started the performance by leading a 'Free Palestine' chant but later switched to the death chant.
'We're seeing some messed up things happening in the world and we're seeing the UK and US being complicit in war crimes and genocide happening over there to the Palestinian people,' the vocalist said.
The topic of Palestine and the war in Gaza was a prominent theme at Glastonbury, attended by about 200,000 people.
At least eight artists mentioned Palestine during their sets and Palestinian flags could be seen within the crowd from various camera angles.
The Anti-Defamation League has also been vocal about Bob Vylan's chants.
'This kind of rhetoric puts Jewish communities worldwide at greater risk,' the ADL posted on X. 'Hate should never be amplified under the guise of performance.'
Israel's war in Gaza – which followed the 2023 attacks by Hamas-led fighters on Israel that resulted in the deaths of about 1,200 people and the capture of 240 hostages – has killed at least 56,500 people and injured more than 118,000.
The war has prompted heightened anti-Semitism as well as a spread of Islamophobia in various parts of the world.
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