WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The United States has revoked visas for members of Britain’s Bob Vylan punk-rap duo after they led chants during their set at the Glastonbury music festival in England over the weekend that the State Department and the BBC, who broadcast the event, said were antisemitic.
“The @StateDept 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. Foreigners who glorify violence and hatred are not welcome visitors to our country,” U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said in a post on X on Monday.
On Monday, the British broadcaster said it regretted not stopping its livestream of Saturday’s event, which included on-stage chants of “death, death to the IDF,” a reference to the Israel Defense Forces fighting a war in Gaza, and “From the river to the sea, Palestine must be, will be, inshallah, it will be free.” That phrase is often taken in Israel as a call for Israel’s destruction and denial of its right to exist, although many Palestinians dispute that characterization.
Bob Vylan, known for mixing grime and punk rock, tackles a range of issues including racism, homophobia and the class divide in their songs and has previously voiced support for Palestinians.
Its lead vocalist, who goes by the stage name Bobby Vylan, appeared to refer to the weekend performance in a post on Instagram, writing: “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 added.
The State Department did not immediately give more details as to the names of those who had visas revoked and what kind of visas they were. Bob Vylan is scheduled to play some concerts in the U.S. in November.
(Reporting Daphne Psaledakis; writing by Susan Heavey; Editing by Rosalba O’Brien)
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