State Department revokes visas of rappers who chanted ‘death to the IDF’ at Glastonbury festival
British rap duo Bob Vylan was slated to perform in 19 U.S. cities this fall
Ben Birchall/PA Images via Getty Images
Bob Vylan performing on the West Holts Stage, during the Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm in Somerset.
Add JewishInsider on GoogleThe members of the British rap duo Bob Vylan had their visas revoked by the State Department on Monday ahead of a planned U.S. tour after leading chants calling for “death to the IDF” over the weekend at the Glastonbury music festival in the U.K.
“The Department of Justice Task Force to Combat Antisemitism will work with the U.S. State Department to deny entry into the United States of performers who incite violent antisemitic behavior,” a spokesperson for the DOJ told Jewish Insider.
“Foreigners who glorify violence and hatred are not welcome visitors to our country,” Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau wrote on X.
Bob Vylan was slated to perform in 19 U.S. cities this fall. Organizers of the annual Glastonbury festival — Britain’s biggest summer music festival — said on Sunday they were “appalled” by the chants.
Irish rap group Kneecap, which had their visas revoked in April, also performed at the festival on Saturday despite one of its members having been charged with a terror offense for displaying a Hezbollah flag at a London concert.
The visa revocation comes amid a broader effort by the Trump administration to crack down on the explosion of antisemitism in the U.S, with several recent high-profile cases of student visa cancellations.