Mia Khalifa defends Bob Vylan over Glastonbury backlash, calls out double standards

Former adult film star and media commentator Mia Khalifa has weighed in on the backlash against British punk-rap duo Bob Vylan, defending their controversial chant at Glastonbury and calling out what she sees as hypocrisy in reactions to pro-Palestinian speech.

In a post to her Instagram story, Khalifa reacted to a headline about an Israeli rap song that explicitly called for her death, alongside pop star Dua Lipa and model Bella Hadid. The headline read: "Rap song calling for death of Dua Lipa, Bella Hadid and Mia Khalifa 'tops charts in Israel'."

"But [Bob Vylan] calling for the [death] of a murderous institution, not a person, is more offensive," Khalifa wrote, highlighting what she sees as a glaring inconsistency in public reactions to speech critical of Israel.

Bob Vylan has come under fire for leading chants of "Death to the IDF", referring to the Israeli army, during their performance at the Glastonbury Festival, which was aired live by the BBC. The set sparked criticism from pro-Israel groups, the Israeli embassy, and prompted an investigation by Avon and Somerset Police.

Khalifa contrasted this with the reception to 'Harbu Darbu', a song by Israeli rap duo Ness Ve Stillla released following the start of Israel's war on Gaza.

The track names Khalifa, Hadid, and Lipa, all vocal supporters of Palestinian rights, alongside leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah, declaring: "every dog will get what's coming to them". The song became one of Israel’s most-streamed tracks of 2023.

Mocking the track at the time, Khalifa wrote: "Y’all, that song calling for the IDF to kill me, Bella, and Dua is over a DRILL beat. They can't even call for genocide in their own culture, they had to colonise something to get it to #1."

Khalifa has also reshared tweets defending Bob Vylan, including one from popular music reviewer Anthony Fantano, who described the backlash as part of "a pattern of emotional abuse and manipulation".

"It's a desperation move to deflect from the abusive behaviour that initiated the response to begin with," Fantano added.

Bob Vylan’s Glastonbury performance has become a flashpoint in the wider crackdown on pro-Palestinian speech in the UK and abroad.

The New Arab previously reported that Artists for Palestine said artists were increasingly resisting censorship: "They’re speaking out loudly and are joined by others who have never previously committed themselves."