US considers canceling British rap duo Bob Vylan's visa after they chanted 'death to the IDF' at Glastonbury

Daily Mail​

7 hours ago

The U.S. State Department is looking into stopping anti-Israel rap duo Bob Vylan from entering America to tour in the wake of their calls for 'Death to the IDF' during their performance at Glastonbury.
The two musicians, 34-year-old Pascal Robinson-Foster - aka 'Bobby Vylan' - and the still unidentified drummer who goes by 'Bobbie Vylan' are set to tour America in the fall.
However, Marco Rubio 's State Department is looking into canceling that trip by revoking Robinson-Foster's visa.
'As a reminder, under the Trump Administration, the U.S. government will not issue visas to any foreigner who supports terrorists,' a senior State Department official told The Daily Caller.
The StopAntisemitism account led the charge to keep the group out of the United States when their tour begins in Spokane, Washington on October 24.
'Bob Vylan (legal name Pascal Robinson-Foster) called for the death of the IDF yesterday at @ glastonbury. He's coming to the U.S. this fall as part of the Inertia Tour. This antisemite must have his visa denied/rescinded - his hate is not welcome here.'
Republican Congressman Randy Fine responded by saying he was 'working on it.'
The group is scheduled to open for anti-Trump New Jersey rapper Grandson on the tour.
DailyMail.com has reached out to the State Department for comment.
The group made worldwide headlines for their primetime spot not only on Glastonbury's West Holts Stage but also on the BBC on Saturday - prompting furious protests over their anti-Israel calls.
The English band was streamed live by the BBC while performing directly before Irish language rap trio Kneecap, who the corporation refused to show live after controversial incidents including one of its members being charged with a terror offense.
In the act just before Kneecap, singer/guitarist Bobby Vylan and drummer Bobbie Vylan, who founded their band in 2017 in Ipswich, flashed up a large message in support of Palestinians while their set was being broadcast live by the BBC.
The message read: 'Free Palestine. United Nations have called it a genocide. The BBC calls it a "conflict".'
They then led the huge crowd in chants of 'Free Free Palestine' and 'Death Death to the IDF'.
Afterwards singer Bob Vylan told fans: 'From the river to the sea Palestine must be, will be, free.'
Performing on stage earlier, the singer was open about his and his bandmate's support for Palestinians.
He said: 'Recently a list was released of people trying to stop our mates Kneecap from performing here today. And who do I see on that f***ing list, but that bald-headed c*** I used to f***ing work for.'
Vylan had been speaking about a colleague at a record company he used to work at. His words were met with loud boos from the crowd.
He continued: 'So look, we have done it all, from working in bars to working or f***ing Zionists.
'So if we can do this, you can do absolutely anything that you put your mind to I'm telling you this.
'Don't give up on your dreams, and if you've got to go to that s***ty job to pay your bills and pay your rent you do what you've got to do to survive in this world.'
Later during a break between songs, the singer said: 'We're seeing some f***ed up things in the world. We're seeing the UK and the US be complicit in war crimes and genocide happening over there to the Palestinian people.
'And I know we're on the BBC, we're not going to say anything crazy. Leave that for them lads, you know what I mean.
'But unfortunately we have seen a strange reaction to people that come out and voice support for Palestine. Even though anybody with any moral compass can surely see that what is happening over there in Gaza is a tragedy.
'We are not pacifist punks here over at Bob Vylan Enterprises. We are the violent punks, because sometimes, you have to get your message across with violence because that is the only language some people speak.'
Although met by raucous cheers and applause from the audience, the chant also sparked fury from some online.
Bob Vylan's performance can now no longer be rewatched on BBC iPlayer as coverage of the West Holts stage at Glastonbury only goes back to around 5pm.
In response, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has demanded an 'urgent explanation' from Tim Davie, the BBC's Director General.
A government spokesperson said: 'We strongly condemn the threatening comments made by Bob Vylan at Glastonbury.
'The Culture Secretary has spoken to the BBC Director General to seek an urgent explanation about what due diligence it carried out ahead of the Bob Vylan performance, and welcomes the decision not to re-broadcast it on BBC iPlayer.'
A BBC spokesperson said: 'Some of the comments made during Bob Vylan's set were deeply offensive. During this live stream on iPlayer, which reflected what was happening on stage, a warning was issued on screen about the very strong and discriminatory language. We have no plans to make the performance available on demand.'
The Embassy of Israel in the UK said they were 'deeply disturbed' by the 'inflammatory and hateful rhetoric expressed on stage at Glastonbury'.
In a statement on X, a spokesperson for the embassy wrote: 'Freedom of expression is a cornerstone of democracy. But when speech crosses into incitement, hatred, and advocacy of ethnic cleansing, it must be called out - especially when amplified by public figures on prominent platforms.
'Chants such as 'Death to the IDF,' and 'From the river to the sea' are slogans that advocate for the dismantling of the State of Israel and implicitly call for the elimination of Jewish self-determination.
'When such messages are delivered before tens of thousands of festivalgoers and met with applause, it raises serious concerns about the normalization of extremist language and the glorification of violence.'
The embassy urged Glastonbury Festival organizers, artists, and public leaders in the UK 'to denounce this rhetoric and reject of all forms of hatred'.
Meanwhile, Robinson-Foster took to social media early on Sunday morning to address the backlash to his performance.
Posing with a tub of pink ice cream, he wrote: 'While zionists are crying on socials, I've just had late night (vegan) ice cream.'
It comes as Kneecap has faced calls in recent months to be stripped from the festival line-up, with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer calling their performance 'not appropriate'.
The current war in Gaza was triggered by an attack by terrorist organisation Hamas on Israel on October 7, 2023 in which some 1,200 people were killed and took more than 251 people hostage.
In response Israel launched a full-scale invasion of the Gaza strip which has lasted almost two years and has led to the deaths of at least 56,412 people, many children and civilians.
The United Nations has said Israel's actions, which include severely limited vital aid such as food, water and medical supplies into the Gaza Strip and raiding or bombing hospitals as 'consistent with the characteristics of Genocide'.
An international arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also been issued by the International Criminal Court.
Israel denies it is committing genocide and claims there is no food shortage for the two million Gazans who live in the strip, something that is widely disputed by aid organisations and international bodies, which have warned thousands of babies are at risk of dying of famine.