The British alt-rap duo Bob Vylan are the latest source responsible for backlash and outrage regarding artists speaking out about the war in Gaza. During their recent performance at the Glastonbury Festival, Bobby Vylan led the crowd in chanting, “Free, free Palestine,” as well as “Death, death to the IDF.” They have since had their U.S. visas revoked ahead of their North America tour and were denounced by the festival organizers. British police have also launched an investigation into their performance. In their first statement directly addressing the backlash, Bob Vylan clarified their comments and called the response to their set a “distraction from the real story.”
“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,” the duo said on Instagram. “A machine whose own soldiers were told to use ‘unnecessary lethal force’ against innocent civilians waiting for aid. A machine that has destroyed much of Gaza. We, like those in the spotlight before us, are not the story. We are a distraction from the story. And whatever sanctions we receive will be a distraction.”
According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, via Associated Press, more than 55,000 have been killed and 127,394 have been wounded in Gaza since October 2023. This figure only partially reflects the extent of the damage. An unspecified number of bodies are inaccessible to local medical service providers or buried beneath rubble from attacks and bombings on the land. Last week, soldiers in the Israeli military said leadership ordered soldiers to fire on unarmed Palestinians at aid distribution centers in Gaza, indicating the killings are the result of IDF policies targeting civilians in violation of international law.
This is the story Bob Vylan would rather shift the spotlight to. “The government doesn’t want us to ask why they remain silent in the face of this atrocity? To ask why they aren’t doing more to stop the killing? To feed the starving?” the duo wrote. “The more time they talk about Bob Vylan, the less time they spend answering for their criminal inaction. We are being targeted for speaking up. We are not the first. We will not be the last.”
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“Today, a good many people would have you believe a punk band is the number one threat to world peace. Last week it was a Palestine pressure group, the week before that it was another band,” they continued, “And if you care for the sanctity of human life and freedom of speech, we urge you to speak up, too. Free Palestine.”
Their statement referred to England announcing plans to ban Palestine Action, an organization committed to “ending global participation in Israel’s genocidal and apartheid regime,” according to their website. On July 1, the Home Office published a statement referring to the organization as a “dangerous, terrorist group.” If the ban is successful, participating in Palestine Action will be a criminal offense.
Bob Vylan’s statement also referred to Kneecap, who were at the center of controversy for months for their own statements made in support of Palestine and calls for an end to Israel’s war in Gaza. “We believe we have an obligation to use our platform when we can to raise the issue of Palestine, and it was important for us to speak out at Coachella as the USA is the main funder and supplier of weapons to Israel as they commit genocide in Gaza,” band member Mo Chara told Rolling Stone earlier this year. “As I said from the stage, ‘The U.S. government could stop the genocide tomorrow.’ It’s important that young Americans hear and know it.”
The Belfast rap trio also performed at Glastonbury this weekend, even after the British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, said it would not be “appropriate” for them to perform and refused to broadcast their set. The trio thanked the festival organizers for keeping them on the lineup despite the pressure to have them removed and led the crowd in chanting, “Free, free Palestine.”
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Artists including Soft Play, Lambrini Girls, and Grandson have posted in support of Bob Vylan. The duo were scheduled to open for Grandson on his upcoming U.S. tour in October and November. “Bob Vylan are the one feature on my album and that feature will go on. If they have the opportunity to come to the United States they will join us on the Inertia tour as planned,” he said in an Instagram post.
“Censorship of art is a tactic of control. They blame artists and activists and not those responsible for the conditions we rage against. From the death spiral of corporate greed and climate change to the genocide of palestinian lives, the music and the artists are not the problem, we are the symptom of a sick world,” Grandson continued. “As a Jewish artist I am deeply offended by the conflation of criticism against a military force known for their indiscriminate violence with antisemitism. The Israeli government has done more to exacerbate antisemitism this past 2 years than any statements by artists advocating for Palestinian freedom and solidarity.”
