State Department Looks to Revoke Visas of British Duo Who Chanted ‘Death to the IDF’ at Glastonbury

The US State Department is “looking at” revoking the visas of British punk-rap duo Bob Vylan after the group led “Death to the IDF” (Israeli Defense Forces) chants at Glastonbury Festival in the UK.

The Details: The duo’s weekend performance at Glastonbury drew widespread criticism, including from British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who described the chant as “appalling hate speech.” British police are reportedly investigating the group as well. 

Key Quote: A State Department official told The Daily Wire (Right bias) that it is “already looking at revocation” of their visas ahead of their US tour this fall and, “As a reminder, under the Trump Administration, the U.S. government will not issue visas to any foreigner who supports terrorists.”

For Context: The duo consists of singer Pascal Robinson-Foster and a drummer, who go by their stage names Bobby Vylan and Bobbie Vylan, respectively. According to British publication The Standard, the two go by pseudonyms to protect themselves from what they describe as a surveillance state. The duo opened its Glastonbury performance with its 2021 song, “I Heard You Want Your Country Back,” accompanied by a backdrop that read, “This country was built on the backs of immigrants.”

How The Media Covered It: The Daily Wire and The Telegraph (Lean Right) referred to the band as a “rap” duo, while BBC (Center) and Rolling Stone (Left) referred to it as a “punk” duo. Fox News (Right) and CNN (Lean Left) referred to it as both. Rolling Stone framed its coverage through Pascal-Robinson’s defiant response to the controversy. The Daily Wire noted that legendary singer-songwriter Bob Dylan is Jewish.

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