Bob Vylan halts IDF chant to avoid trouble but leads crowd in "free Palestine" chant

Bob Vylan frontman Pascal Robinson-Foster, known as Bobby Vylan, took action to prevent the crowd from chanting “death, death to the IDF” at the band's first show since their controversial Glastonbury performance. At the surprise gig in London’s 100 Club on Wednesday night, Vylan quickly halted attempts to revive the inflammatory chant that caused a police investigation and led to the band's U.S. visa revocation.

During their Glastonbury set on June 28, Bob Vylan led the crowd in chants that included “death, death to the IDF,” “free, free Palestine,” and the slogan “from the river to the sea, Palestine must be free.” The chants drew backlash, with many criticizing the IDF chant as antisemitic. The BBC, which aired the performance live, stated that it “should have pulled” the set. Glastonbury organizers expressed their disappointment, and the incident resulted in Bob Vylan being dropped by their booking agent, UTA, and facing the revocation of their U.S. visas, impacting their planned tour.

At the 100 Club show, several fans attempted to reignite the controversial chant, but Vylan quickly intervened. “No, no, no. You’re going to get me in trouble,” he said, directing the crowd to chant “free, free Palestine” instead. During the band’s final moments on stage, they raised a Palestinian flag, and Vylan addressed the audience, emphasizing the importance of focusing on the struggles of the Palestinian people rather than the band's actions.

In his speech, Vylan said, “As hard as this week may have been for us, it has been nothing compared to what the Palestinian people are going through right now. That is where the attention should be.” The band continues to draw attention to the ongoing Palestinian plight while navigating the fallout from the Glastonbury performance.