What did Bob Vylan say during his Glastonbury chants? State Department to revoke visa for British Rapper

During the performance on the West Holts Stage on Saturday, Bobby Vylan, the lead singer of Bob Vylan, a London-based English duo, chanted:

"Free, free Palestine."

Bob Vylan continued:

"Death, death to the IDF."

IDF refers to Israel Defense Forces. Additionally, he also included slogans like:

"From the river to the sea."

The show, which was aired live on BBC iPlayer, received a warning from the BBC for using “strong and discriminatory language.” The rapper is now facing criticism from some Glastonbury organizers and attendees for using such statements during the performance.

Additionally, the Embassy of Israel in the UK also released a statement on X that read:

"Chants such as 'Death to the IDF,' and 'From the river to the sea' are slogans that advocate for the dismantling of the State of Israel and implicitly call for the elimination of Jewish self-determination. When such messages are delivered before tens of thousands of festivalgoers and met with applause, it raises serious concerns about the normalization of extremist language and the glorification of violence."

It continued:

"We call on Glastonbury Festival organisers, artists, and public leaders in the UK to denounce this rhetoric and reject of all forms of hatred."

As per the BBC, the performance will not be made accessible for streaming later.

The US State Department plans to cancel Bob Vylan’s visa

After the backlash over his slogans, Bob Vylan is now facing more heat and problems over the visa cancellation. As reported by ynetnews and Daily Wire, a high-level official in the Foreign Ministry said that the US State Department is already thinking about canceling the visa following the incident.

The duo were scheduled to perform in the US the following October. This has put fans in speculation as to whether the tour will be taking place or will be cancelled. However, the visa cancellation has not been confirmed yet and is still under consideration.

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