Both members of the English rap duo Bob Vylan had their United States visas revoked Monday over chants they led last weekend calling for “death to the (Israel Defense Forces), U.S. State Department Deputy Secretary Christopher Landau said on social media.
“The State Department has revoked the U.S. visas for the members of the Bob Vylan band in light of their hateful tirade at Glastonbury, including leading the crowd in death chants,” Landau wrote on X. “Foreigners who glorify violence and hatred are not welcome visitors to our country.”
During the duo’s set, Bob Vylan members Bobby and Bobbie Vylan led the crowd in chants of “free Palestine” and “death to the IDF,” sparking outrage from some American officials and lawmakers.
“These abhorrent chants… have no place in any civil society,” said Leo Terrell, who chairs the Justice Department’s task on combating antisemitism, in a post on X.
“Truly sick,” said Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) in response to the chants, also in a post on X.
During the concert, held at the Glastonbury Festival in England, the duo performed in front of a large display with a message referring to Israel’s ongoing assault on Gaza as a “genocide.” The group was slated for a tour in the United States later this year.
The visa revocation is among the latest efforts by the Trump administration to target what it considers antisemitism, though some critics have labeled the efforts as a measure to curb criticism of Israel amid the Israel-Palestinian conflict.
The White House’s targeting of antisemitism has been used to justify the arrest and attempted deportation of several critics of Israel, including Mahmoud Khalil, a student activist at Columbia University who was arrested in March for leading pro-Palestianian protests, despite not being charged with a crime, or Rymeysa Ozturk, a Tufts University student arrested for having co-authored an op-ed critical of Israel’s assault on Gaza.
Bob Vylan members’ U.S. visas being revoked closely mirrors that of the Irish hip-hop group Kneecap who, after also criticizing Israel’s siege on Gaza during a performance, calling it “genocide,” had their U.S. visas revoked as well.