Today’s a Good Day to Stream Bob Vylan
After leading a "Death to the IDF" chant during their Glastonbury set, the punk rap duo got dropped by their management, and the U.S. revoked their visas. But they've gained at least one new fan.
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On Monday, a series of Israeli missiles were launched at a popular beachfront cafe in Gaza City, reportedly killing at least 30 people and injuring 60 others. The coffee shop, which had withstood nearly two years of bombings, was one of the last remaining internet access points and a place for community for Palestinians, particularly women and children. Among the dead were Palestinian photojournalist, Ismail Abu Hatab, and an internationally acclaimed artist, Frans al-Salmi. Concurrently, Israeli forces also murdered 15 people on a street, six people outside the town of Zawaida, and 11 people seeking aid in southern Gaza.
The latest attacks arrived after multiple artists used their sets at Glastonbury Festival over the weekend to decry Israel’s now-21-month-long genocide against Palestinians. CMAT started a “Free, Free Palestine” chant before leaving the stage; Inhaler dedicated a song to any “innocent people being starved or bombed or genocided for the sake of some lunatics”; Jade Thirlwall denounced the U.K. government for “justifying genocide” in Gaza; Kneecap called Israel “war criminals.” But no musician has garnered quite the same reaction (read: complete castigation) as punk rap duo Bob Vylan.
On Saturday, Bobby Vylan (the other half of the duo is Bobbie Vylan) delivered a moving speech on stage, saying in part: “We’re seeing the U.K. and U.S. being complicit in war crimes and genocide happening over there to the Palestinian people. I know we’re on the BBC, so we don’t want to say anything crazy. But we have seen, unfortunately, a strange reaction to people that come out and voice support for Palestine. Even though anybody with any kind of moral compass can surely tell that what is happening over there in Gaza is a tragedy.”