US revokes visas of British rap punk duo Bob Vylan after controversial Glastonbury set
The US State Department has revoked the visas of members of Bob Vylan, a British rap punk group who chanted 'Death to the IDF' at a UK music festival this weekend.
'The (State Department) 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,' Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said in a post on X Monday.
The group was slated to go on a US tour beginning in late October, according to a post on Instagram.
The US State Department has instituted an aggressive visa restriction and revocation policy for alleged support of terrorism and anti-Semitism.
Bob Vylan's chants at Glastonbury have also prompted outcry among top British officials, and British police are reviewing video footage of their set.
Rapper Bobby Vylan had taken to Glastonbury's third-biggest West Holts Stage on Saturday, shouting 'Free, free Palestine,' before leading crowds to chants against the Israeli military.
Video showed the rapper shouting into the mic, 'Alright, but have you heard this one though? Death, death to the IDF (Israel Defense Forces).'
The artist also performed in front of a screen that displayed a message which read: 'United Nations have called it a genocide. The BBC calls it a 'conflict,'' referring to the UK's public broadcaster that has been showing the festival live.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that 'there is no excuse for this kind of appalling hate speech.'
The Israeli Embassy in the UK said it was 'deeply disturbed' by what it called 'inflammatory and hateful' rhetoric at the festival.
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