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The State Department banned an English rap punk duo from performing in the United States after they appeared to lead a crowd in chants supporting besieged Gaza residents and wishing “death” upon Israeli forces, officials said Monday.
Visas for Bob Vylan and his group of the same name were revoked “in light of their hateful tirade at Glastonbury, including leading the crowd in death chants,” State Department Deputy Secretary Christopher Landau said in a statement.
The rapper led Glastonbury Festival crowds on Saturday in chants of “free, free Palestine” and “death, death to the IDF” (the Israel Defense Forces), according to videos shared on social media.
“From the river to the sea,” Vylan could be seen saying on video shared across social media, “Palestine must be, will be, inshallah, it will be free.”
The phrase “river to the sea” refers to lands between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea and has been around for decades. But its use grew rapidly on social media and elsewhere in the wake of the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attacks on Israel by Hamas, and the subsequent Israeli military campaign in Gaza.
Some pro-Palestinian activists say it’s a call for peace in the region. Others argue that those words qualify as hate speech.
A Somerset Police detective has been assigned to determine if any hate crime statutes were broken during the performance, officials said Monday.
“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,” according to a police department statement. “There is absolutely no place in society for hate.”
The U.S. State Department also condemned the rappers, accusing them of fomenting hate.
“Foreigners who glorify violence and hatred are not welcome visitors to our country,” Landau added.
Bob Vylan is scheduled to kick off a U.S. tour on Oct. 24 in Spokane, Washington, with gigs in Seattle, Salt Lake City, Denver, St. Louis, Chicago, Minneapolis, Detroit, Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Nashville, Dallas, San Diego, San Antonio and Los Angeles.
Representatives for all of those U.S. venues could not immediately be reached for comment Monday.
And messages left for the artist, whose real name is Pascal Robinson-Foster, on Monday were not immediately returned.
Addressing the incident directly in an Instagram post Tuesday, Vylan said his group was “being targeted for speaking up” and repeated calls for “Free Palestine.”
“A good many people would have you believe a punk band is the number one threat to world peace,” he wrote. “We are for the dismantling of a violent military machine,” he added, referring to the Israeli military’s assault in Gaza.
Senior Breaking News Reporter
Abigail Williams is a producer and reporter for NBC News covering the State Department.
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