US revokes visas for Bob Vylan after music duo's Glastonbury chants

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, claimed 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 BBC said it regretted not stopping its livestream of Saturday's event, and police said they had launched a criminal investigation.

Bob Vylan's set included on-stage chants of "death, death to the IDF," a reference to the Israeli forces' brutal military offensive in Gaza, and "From the river to the sea, Palestine must be, will be, inshallah, it will be free." 

The phrase "From the river to the sea" has been widely used since the 1960s in pro-Palestinian demonstrations, symbolising a call to end the occupation and achieve justice for Palestinians across historic Palestine- from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea.

Bob Vylan, known for mixing grime and punk rock, tackle a range of issues including racism, homophobia and the class divide in their songs and have previously voiced support for Palestinians.

Their 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 are scheduled to play some concerts in the U.S. in November.

U.S. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce told reporters at a regular news briefing that the incident violated the standard for whom the U.S. wants to let into the country.

"If they're going to be coming here to be helpful, to be nice people, to be great tourists, or if they're coming for other reasons ... every sovereign nation has a right to decide who is going to come," Bruce said.

"It really is about our standards about who we let in the country. We're not telling people what they can sing about or what they can say... It really is about the issue of national security, about issues of violence, the increase, certainly, of antisemitism, but of terrorism in general."

UK police investigate Bob Vylan, Kneecap's Glastonbury performances

British police on Monday launched a criminal investigation into musician Bob Vylan and Irish rap band Kneecap's performances at the Glastonbury music festival after they led chanting about the Israeli military and Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

The police are investigating both groups over public order offences after reviewing video footage and audio from the performances on Saturday, the police statement said.

"We have received a large amount of contact in relation to these events from people across the world and recognise the strength of public feeling. There is absolutely no place in society for hate," the police said.

The police said their investigation will consider all appropriate legislation, including relating to hate crimes.