Bob Vylan's Israeli military chant prompts US visa cancellation and UK criminal probe
Members of the British rap punk duo Bob Vylan had their visas revoked by the United States and are under investigation by local police after leading a crowd to chant 'death' to Israel's military at a UK music festival this past weekend.
On Monday, US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said that the State Department 'has revoked the US visas for the members of the Bob Vylan band in light of their hateful tirade at Glastonbury, including leading the crowd in death chants.'
He added on X that 'foreigners who glorify violence and hatred are not welcome visitors to our country.'
The group was slated to go on a US tour beginning in late October, according to a post on Instagram.
The US State Department has instituted an aggressive visa restriction and revocation policy for alleged support of terrorism and anti-Semitism.
Rapper Bobby Vylan took to Glastonbury Festival's third-biggest West Holts Stage on Saturday, shouting 'Free, free Palestine,' before leading crowds to chants against the Israeli military. Video showed the rapper shouting into the mic, 'Alright, but have you heard this one though? Death, death to the IDF (Israel Defense Forces).'
The artist also performed in front of a screen that displayed a message which read: 'United Nations have called it a genocide. The BBC calls it a 'conflict,'' referring to the UK's public broadcaster that showed the festival live.
In a Sunday Instagram post captioned 'I said what I said,' Bobby Vylan said he had received 'messages of both support and hatred' following the performance.
'Teaching our children to speak up for the change they want and need is the only way that we make this world a better place,' the post read. 'As we grow older and our fire possibly starts to dim under the suffocation of adult life and all its responsibilities, it is incredibly important that we inspire future generations to pick up the torch that was passed to us.'
CNN has contacted Vylan for comment.
Bob Vylan's chants at the festival have also prompted outcry among top British officials, and British police are reviewing video footage of their set. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that 'there is no excuse for this kind of appalling hate speech.'
The Israeli Embassy in the UK said it was 'deeply disturbed' by what it called 'inflammatory and hateful' rhetoric at the festival.
A BBC spokesperson told CNN Sunday that some of the comments made during Vylan's performance were 'deeply offensive.' The broadcaster streamed the rapper's set live but said it had no plans to make the performance available on demand through its iPlayer streaming platform.
On Monday, the BBC admitted that 'with hindsight' Vylan's performance should have been pulled from air during the performance, saying that the corporation 'respects freedom of expression but stands firmly against incitement to violence.'
'The antisemitic sentiments expressed by Bob Vylan were utterly unacceptable and have no place on our airwaves,' it added.
Bob Vylan's music incorporates a variety of genres with lyrics that often confront social issues such as racism, sexism, and economic inequality.
Ahead of the five-day music festival, all eyes were on Irish-language hip-hop trio Kneecap after band member Liam O'Hanna – who performs under the stage name Mo Chara – was charged last month with a terrorism offense following an investigation by London's Metropolitan Police.
The charge, which he has denied, relates to a London gig in November 2024 where he allegedly displayed a flag of Hezbollah – a proscribed terrorist organization banned under UK law. Ahead of the festival at Worthy Farm, Starmer said it was not 'appropriate' for the group to perform.
While performing on the same stage Saturday afternoon, Chara told the crowds that recent events had been 'stressful' but that it was nothing in comparison to 'what the Palestinian people are going through.'
Kneecap rapper Naoise Ó Cairealláin, who goes by the stage name Móglaí Bap, hit back at Starmer's comment during Saturday's set: 'The Prime Minister of your country, not mine, said he didn't want us to play, so f**k Keir Starmer.'
Police in Somerset, where the festival is held, said on Monday that after reviewing video and audio footage of both bands' performances, they determined that 'further enquiries are required' and opened a criminal investigation into the matter.
The investigation is in an early state, police said, adding that authorities 'will closely consider all appropriate legislation, including relating to hate crimes.'
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