After what happened at Glastonbury, Bob Vylan can’t use their U.S. visas anymore.
The crowd at the festival heard Bobby Vylan shout “Death, death to the IDF,” and that got a lot of people talking, including Keir Starmer, Glastonbury’s team, and even the BBC, who said sorry for letting it go live. Now, British police are checking if what was said on stage broke any laws, and the band’s words are being looked at as possible criminal behavior. The group has always stood up for Palestine, especially since the fighting in Gaza and the West Bank kept getting worse. Their stage had a huge sign saying things like “United Nations have called it a genocide. The BBC calls it a ‘conflict.’”
After all the drama, Bobby Vylan went on Instagram and tried to explain, saying, “children to speak up for the change they want and need.” He also said, “Let them see us marching in the streets, campaigning on ground level, organising online and shouting about it on any and every stage that we are offered.” The U.S. tour they planned for October and November probably won’t happen now, since Christopher Landau from the state department posted on X about canceling their visas because of the “hateful tirade at Glastonbury, including leading the crowd in death chants.” The band’s agency, United Talent Agency, dropped them too.
Fans sometimes wonder if music festivals are the right place for these big arguments, but people always have strong opinions.
Glastonbury’s organizers said on social media they were “appalled by the statements made from the West Holts stage by Bob Vylan.” There were lots of Palestinian flags in the crowd and many other artists spoke up for Palestine too, with Amyl and the Sniffers even defending Bob Vylan and Kneecap. Still, Glastonbury said what Bob Vylan did was “very much crossed a line,” and some politicians and the BBC called their words antisemitic.
Kneecap is in trouble too, because police are looking into their Glastonbury show, but no one’s sure exactly what part is under investigation. Keir Starmer even wanted them off the festival lineup before it started. The BBC didn’t show their set live, which is unusual, but later put most of it up on iPlayer. Meanwhile, Kneecap’s Mo Chara went to court for allegedly showing a Hezbollah flag at another concert in 2024.
