London Rap punk duo Bob Vylan, who garnered harsh criticism after leading masses of music fans in yelling “death” to the Israeli soldiers during their televised performance at the Glastonbury Festival, was the subject of a criminal inquiry by British police on Monday.
In the meantime, the U.S. State Department announced that, following their furious outburst at Glastonbury, it has canceled Bob Vylan’s U.S. visas. Vylan was scheduled to embark on a U.S. tour later this year.
At Britain’s largest summer music festival on Saturday, rapper Bobby Vylan, who was not well-known until the weekend, led crowds in cries of “free, free Palestine” and “death, death” to the Israel Defense Forces.
The BBC expressed sorrow for broadcasting the concert live.
The station stated that it supports freedom of expression but is adamantly opposed to inciting violence, saying that Bob Vylan’s antisemitic remarks were completely abhorrent and had no place on our airways.
There is no justification for such heinous hate speech, according to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and other British officials, who denounced the shouts.
According to Avon and Somerset Police, the performance by Irish-language band Kneecap and by Bob Vylan is currently being investigated criminally and has been documented as a public order event.
There is a lot of pressure on the BBC.
Pro-Palestinian demonstrations have been held in numerous major cities and on college campuses as a result of Israel’s assault against Hamas in Gaza, which has heightened tensions globally. Critics claim that Israel exploits such labels to stifle opponents, while Israel and some of its allies have called the demonstrations antisemitic.
The BBC livestream raised serious concerns, according to Ofcom, the UK’s broadcasting authority, which also stated that the broadcaster obviously has questions.
Earlier in its defense, the BBC claimed that throughout its livestream of Bob Vylan’s act, it had warned viewers about extremely offensive and discriminatory words.
The visas of Bob Vylan’s two members, who both go by stage names for privacy concerns, have been canceled, according to U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau.
In a Monday social media post, Landau stated that foreigners who incite hatred and violence are not welcome in our nation.
According to Starmer, the BBC needs to provide an explanation for how these scenes were shown.
The 2017-formed band Bob Vylan has put out four albums that combine punk, grime, and other genres with lyrics that frequently touch on topics like politics, racism, and masculinity.
Singer Bobby Vylan stated in a social media statement that he received a ton of hateful and supportive messages.
He said that the only way we can improve the world is by teaching our kids to stand up for the change they need and desire.
Investigating the kneecap as well
Just before Kneecap, another band that has generated controversy due to its pro-Palestinian position, Bob Vylan played on Saturday afternoon.
At the festival, Kneecap led a sizable crowd in shouts of “Free Palestine.” Starmer, who has stated that he didn’t think Kneecap should play Glastonbury after one of its members was charged under the Terrorism Act, was also the target of an obscenities-filled chant.
Under the stage name Mo Chara, Liam Og O’Annaidh was accused of supporting a banned group after reportedly waving a Hezbollah flag during a London concert last year.
One of the band members urged on Saturday that fans spark a riot outside his bandmate’s next court appearance. However, he then stated that there should be no riots, only love and solidarity for Palestine.
Over the weekend, the Israeli Embassy in the United Kingdom voiced its deep distress over the cruel and aggressive rhetoric that was displayed on stage during the Glastonbury Festival.
The artists were one of 4,000 that performed at the festival in southwest England this year in front of some 200,000 music fans.
