English punk-rap duo Bob Vylan have issued a new statement following their controversial “death to the IDF” chants at Glastonbury over the weekend, denying claims of antisemitism while continuing to call for a free Palestine.
“We are not for the death of Jews, Arabs, or any other race or group of people,” the duo wrote in a post on Instagram on Tuesday. “We are for the dismantling of a violent military machine — a machine whose own soldiers were told to use ‘unnecessary lethal force’ against innocent civilians waiting for aid. A machine that has destroyed much of Gaza.”
Bob Vylan garnered significant criticism over the “death to the IDF” chants during their set last weekend, with Glastonbury organizer Emily Eavis writing that their words “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.”
UTA subsequently dropped Bob Vylan, and the U.S. State Department revoked their visas, putting their upcoming North American tour in jeopardy. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau wrote on X on Monday that “foreigners who glorify violence and hatred are not welcome visitors to our country.”
The BBC also shared a statement saying the network regretted livestreaming Bob Vylan’s Glastonbury set, further stating that “the antisemitic sentiments expressed by Bob Vylan were utterly unacceptable and have no place on our airwaves.”
Of the backlash, Bob Vylan wrote on Tuesday that the duo “are not the story” and argued that they were “being targeted for speaking up,” further encouraging their fans to continue to speak out on the matter.
“We are a distraction from the story. And whatever sanctions we receive will be a distraction,” Bob Vylan said. “The government doesn’t want us to ask why they remain silent in the face of this atrocity. To ask why they aren’t doing more to stop the killing. To feed the starving. The more time they talk about Bob Vylan, the less time they spend answering for their criminal inaction.”
See Bob Vylan’s full statement below.
