'We are being targeted for speaking up': Bob Vylan reject 'antisemitism' accusations amid media uproar

Rap-punk duo Bob Vylan on Tuesday rejected claims of antisemitism over onstage comments at the Glastonbury Festival that triggered a police investigation and sparked criticism from politicians, the BBC and festival organisers.

The band said in a statement that it was being "targeted for speaking up" about the war in Gaza, which has killed over 56,000 Palestinians.

Police are investigating whether a "crime" was committed when frontman Bobby Vylan led the audience in chants of "Death to the IDF" during the band’s set at the festival in southwest England on Saturday, in reference to the Israeli army.

The British government called the chants "appalling hate speech" and the BBC said it regretted livestreaming the performance. US authorities revoked the musicians’ visas.

Activists, however, praised the musical duo for speaking out against Israel's military onslaught in Gaza, which has been labelled a genocide by experts, NGOs and several UN agencies.

Throughout Israel's war in Gaza, pro-Israeli lobbies and officials have sought label legitimate concerns regarding the military onslaught as well as pro-Palestinian protests as "antisemitic" in a deliberate tactic to distract from Israeli atrocities.

In a statement on Instagram, Bob Vylan said: "We are not for the death of Jews, Arabs or any other race or group of people. We are for the dismantling of a violent military machine. … A machine that has destroyed much of Gaza."

"We are a distraction from the story," the duo added: "We are being targeted for speaking up."

Avon and Somerset Police said it is investigating Bob Vylan’s performance, along with that by Irish-language hip-hop trio Kneecap, whose pro-Palestinian stance has also attracted controversy. Kneecap member Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh has been charged under Britain’s Terrorism Act with supporting a proscribed organisation for allegedly waving a Hezbollah flag at a concert in London last year.