British punk-rock and hip-hop duo Bob Vylan will not be able to perform in the U.S., where they were scheduled to open for American singer grandson’s tour in October and November, after a controversial performance at the Glastonbury Festival in England over the weekend.
Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau posted on X on Monday that the Department has revoked the duo’s visas “in light of their hateful tirade at Glastonbury, including leading the crowd in death chants.” Landau added: “Foreigners who glorify violence and hatred are not welcome visitors to our country.”
At the Glastonbury Festival, which is aired annually on BBC, one of the group’s members, Bobby Vylan, led the crowd on Saturday to chant, “Death to the IDF,” referring to the Israel Defense Forces, to the shock of organizers and onlookers.
The duo has faced a firestorm of criticism in the U.K., and British police said they are examining videos of the incident for possible criminal violations.
The Israeli embassy in the U.K. said it was “deeply disturbed by the inflammatory and hateful rhetoric expressed on stage” and that “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.”
“We are appalled by the statements made from the West Holts stage by Bob Vylan yesterday,” Emily Eavis, the co-organizer of Glastonbury and daughter of the festival’s founder, said in a statement. “Their chants very much crossed a line and we are urgently reminding everyone involved in the production of the Festival that there is no place at Glastonbury for antisemitism, hate speech or incitement to violence.”
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned Vylan’s actions on the Glastonbury stage, saying, “There is no excuse for this kind of appalling hate speech.” He also demanded that the BBC answer questions about streaming the controversial remarks.
In a statement, the BBC said Vylan’s expressions “were utterly unacceptable and have no place on our airwaves.” It explained that the performance was aired on its channels because the BBC team was dealing with “a live situation” but added that “with hindsight we should have pulled the stream during the performance.”
Starmer had previously said that it was “not appropriate” for Irish rap trio Kneecap, who have accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza and accused the U.S. and U.K. of enabling it, to be performing at the festival, and the BBC had decided in advance not to broadcast Kneecap’s performance live to “ensure that our programming meets our editorial guidelines.”
Bob Vylan performed before Kneecap’s set, where festival attendees had gathered in anticipation with Palestinian flags. Singer Bobby Vylan first led the crowd to chant, “Free, free, Palestine!” Then he interjected: “Alright, but have you heard this one though?” before leading a chant of “Death, death to the IDF!”
The chant recalled the phrasing of “Death to Israel” and “Death to America” chants by Iranians as well as “Death to Arabs” chants by Israelis.
Following the controversy that ensued, Bobby Vylan wrote “I said what I said” on Instagram, where he shared a statement that explained: “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.”
Here’s what to know.
Who is Bob Vylan?
Bob Vylan is composed of singer-guitarist Bobby Vylan and drummer Bobbie Vylan, and they collectively refer to themselves as “the Bobs.” The two have used stage names reportedly to maintain privacy, but some U.K. media have since identified Bobby Vylan as 34-year-old Pascal Robinson-Foster.
The duo, which formed in Ipswich in 2017 and has more than 200,000 monthly listeners on Spotify, is known for its politically charged music and performances.
According to the Independent, their songs “often speak out against racism, homophobia, toxic masculinity and far right politics,” and in past performances Bobby would preface their song “Pretty Songs” by saying “violence is the only language that some people understand.” The paper also said that Bobby has been deliberately provocative in past performances, such as by swinging a baseball bat at the crowd or wearing the soccer jersey of the rival team of where they were performing.
Last year, Bobby told the Irish Times that he was infuriated by bands that didn’t speak up more about Gaza. The U.K. and U.S. governments’ response, he said, “but also the people’s response – the people of these countries … will be remembered forever. It will be documented throughout history. If you’re asking yourself, ‘Oh, what would you have done during slavery? What would you have done throughout the Holocaust?’ You’re doing it now – right now. With what it is happening over there in Palestine, you’re doing it.”
Since the Glastonbury performance, the duo was reportedly dropped by United Talent Agency.
What are the reactions in the U.S.?
Sen. Ted Cruz (R, Texas) reposted video of the incident on X, and commented: “Truly sick. Thousands of people screaming ‘Death to the IDF.’ This is the base of the Democrat Party.”
StopAntisemitism, an advocacy group in the U.S., flagged on X that the duo has scheduled performances in the U.S. later this year and said of Bobby Vylan: “This antisemite must have his visa denied/rescinded – his hate is not welcome here.”
Republican Rep. Randy Fine of Florida responded to the post, saying “On it.”
Leo Terrell, who chairs the Justice Department’s task force to combat antisemitism, also responded to StopAntisemitism’s post, which he was tagged in.
“These abhorrent chants, which included calls for the death of members of the Israeli Defense Forces, are abhorrent and have no place in any civil society,” Terrell posted on X. “We understand that Mr. Vylan is planning to travel to the United States as part of the Inertia Tour. In response, Mr. Terrell’s Task Force will be reaching out to the U.S. Department of State on Monday to determine what measures are available to address the situation and to prevent the promotion of violent antisemitic rhetoric in the United States.”
After Landau’s announcement, Terrell thanked the State Department for “moving so fast on this.” Bobby Vylan “is a person who wants to incite violence and we’re not going to allow that under the Trump Administration,” Terrell said on Fox News. “The Trump Administration is not going to allow antisemitism to exist in this country.”
A State Department spokesperson told TIME before Landau’s announcement that it does not publicly discuss the details of individual cases but that the Department “is committed to protecting our nation and its citizens by upholding the highest standards of national security and public safety.” The spokesperson added that Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been clear that “a U.S. visa is a privilege, not a right.”
Trump Administration immigration officials announced in April that they would screen visa applicants’ social media accounts for “antisemitic” content. “There is no room in the United States for the rest of the world’s terrorist sympathizers, and we are under no obligation to admit them or let them stay here,” said Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin at the time.
The Administration has also claimed to reject censorship at home and abroad, with the State Department announcing visa restrictions in May for foreign officials who restrict “protected expression” in the U.S. “Free speech,” Rubio said in the announcement, “is among the most cherished rights we enjoy as Americans.”
Discussion about this post