The Trump administration has revoked U.S. visas for members of rap-punk duo Bob Vylan after the group’s disturbing antisemitic hate speech during the U.K.’s Glastonbury Festival over the weekend.
The musical group was scheduled to travel to Boston, New York City and Washington, D.C., for shows this fall, but the performers drew broad rebuke after lead singer Bobby Vylan led concertgoers in chanting “death, death to the IDF,” referring to the Israel Defense Forces, on Saturday.
“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,” Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau wrote on the social platform X on Monday. “Foreigners who glorify violence and hatred are not welcome visitors to our country.”
Bobby Vylan, who performs with drummer Bobbie Vylan, defended his remarks in an Instagram post on Sunday captioned “I said what I said.”
“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,” he wrote. “Let us display to them loudly and visibly the right thing to do when we want change and need change.”
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the comments were “appalling hate speech” and called on the BBC to explain how the show was broadcast live.
The BBC said Monday it should have pulled the livestream of the duo’s performance at the U.K.’s largest music festival, calling the comments “antisemitic.”
“The antisemitic sentiments expressed by Bob Vylan were utterly unacceptable and have no place on our airwaves. We welcome Glastonbury’s condemnation of the performance,” the network wrote. “The team were dealing with a live situation but with hindsight we should have pulled the stream during the performance. We regret this did not happen.”
The Israeli Embassy also condemned Bob Vylan’s chant as “inflammatory and hateful rhetoric.”
“When such messages are delivered before tens of thousands of festivalgoers and met with applause, it raises serious concerns about the normalisation of extremist language and the glorification of violence,” the embassy posted on the social platform X.
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If they were chanting ‘Islam is a cult’ or ‘Death to Islam’ they would be in jail today with the UK’s laws banning defaming Islam. Can you say ‘double standard?’
We are speaking out! This is our voice to say, you aren’t welcome here. we value life and liberty. It’s time we let our voices be heard loud and very clear.
We sit by and let others spew hate and discord. NO MORE! Stand for the justice of the Israeli people, our people
Thank you President Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau for promptly revoking the visas of these people who are both too ignorant to digest the reality of the attacks on Israel, on the normalization of anti-semitism under the guise of disagreeing with Israel’s policy and for inciting attacks on Jews for Israel’s defense of its soverignty and citizens.
It’s hard to believe that the technologically advanced and so called knowledgeable young people of the world can be so brain dead that they can’t think for themselves. They cry solidarity for the voiceless but in reality it is solidarity for the brainless!
A PUNK is a punk-is a punk. Totally uninteresting in the world today. Loser!