Rap-punk duo Bob Vylan on Tuesday rejected claims of anti-Semitism over onstage comments at the Glastonbury Festival that triggered a police investigation and sparked criticism from politicians, the BBC and festival organizers.
The band said in a statement that it was being "targeted for speaking up” about the war in Gaza.
Police are investigating whether a crime was committed when frontman Bob Vylan led the audience in chants of "Death to the IDF” – the Israel Defense Forces – during the band’s set at the festival in southwest England on Saturday.
The British government called the chants "appalling hate speech,” and the BBC said it regretted livestreaming the "anti-Semitic sentiments.” U.S. authorities revoked the musicians’ visas.
Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza has inflamed tensions around the world, triggering pro-Palestinian protests in many capitals and on college campuses. Israel and some supporters have described the protests as anti-Semitic, while critics say Israel uses such descriptions to silence opponents.
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.”
Alleging that "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.
Since the war began in October 2023 with Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza in response to the Oct. 7 Hamas incursion that killed some 1,200 people, Israel has killed more than 56,000 people in Gaza, according to the health ministry.
