LONDON (AP) 鈥 Rap-punk duo Bob Vylan on Tuesday rejected claims of antisemitism 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 鈥渢argeted for speaking up鈥 about the war in Gaza.
Police are investigating whether a crime was committed when frontman Bob Vylan led the audience in chants of 鈥淒eath to the IDF鈥 鈥 the Israel Defense Forces 鈥 during the band鈥檚 set at the festival in southwest England on Saturday.
The British government called the chants 鈥渁ppalling hate speech鈥 and the BBC said it regretted livestreaming the 鈥渁ntisemitic sentiments.鈥 U.S. authorities revoked the musicians鈥 visas.
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 antisemitic, while critics say Israel uses such descriptions to silence opponents.
In a statement on Instagram, Bob Vylan said: 鈥淲e 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. 鈥 A machine that has destroyed much of Gaza.鈥
Alleging that 鈥渨e are a distraction from the story,鈥 the duo added: 鈥淲e are being targeted for speaking up.鈥
The BBC is under pressure to explain why it did not cut the feed of the performance after the anti-IDF chants. Britain鈥檚 Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis said 鈥渢he airing of vile Jew-hatred鈥 by the BBC was a moment of 鈥渘ational shame.鈥
鈥淚t should trouble all decent people that now, one need only couch their outright incitement to violence and hatred as edgy political commentary, for ordinary people to not only fail to see it for what it is, but also to cheer it, chant it and celebrate it,鈥 he wrote on X.
Avon and Somerset Police said it is investigating Bob Vylan鈥檚 performance, along with that by Irish-language hip-hop trio , whose pro-Palestinian stance has also attracted controversy. Kneecap member Liam 脫g 脫 hAnnaidh has been charged under Britain鈥檚 Terrorism Act with supporting a proscribed organization for allegedly at a concert in London last year.
Since the war began in October 2023 with a Hamas attack on Israel that killed some 1,200 people, Israel has killed more than 56,000 people in Gaza, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.
