British punk duo Bob Vylan have been dropped as clients by United Talent Agency (UTA) following their performance at Glastonbury Festival, where vocalist Bobby Vylan chanted "death to the IDF." The rappers will also have to cancel their upcoming North American tour after their visas were cancelled.
The chant was misreported as "death to Israelis," Both UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Glastonbury Festival condemned the remarks. In an Instagram post, Bobby Vylan related a story about his daughter filling in a survey about her school dinners. "Today it is a change in school dinners, tomorrow it is a change in foreign policy," he wrote.
UTA, which is based in Beverly Hills, California, also dropped actor Susan Sarandon after she spoke at a pro-Palestine rally in November 2023.
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The U.S. government responded as well. On Monday, it revoked the band member’s visas ahead of a planned North American tour, which was set to begin in October with stops in over 20 cities including New York, Washington, Los Angeles and Nashville.
"Foreign nationals who glorify violence and hate are not welcome in our country," wrote U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau on X.
British police, meanwhile, announced that further investigation is underway into incidents at Glastonbury involving both Bob Vylan and the Irish group Kneecap. A criminal investigation is in progress. "A senior detective has been appointed to lead the investigation," according to British police. "The investigation is in its early stages, and will be guided by the evidence and will carefully consider all relevant legislation, including that relating to hate crimes."
On Sunday, Deadline reported that UTA had removed Bob Vylan’s profile from its website. Sources inside the agency confirmed the decision to cut ties with the duo was made swiftly following the appearance at the festival.
Bobby Vylan addressed the backlash in a separate Instagram post, saying he stood by his words. "My phone hasn't stopped vibrating from messages of support and hate," he wrote. "Teaching our children to raise their voices for the change they want and need is the only way to make the world better. Let’s show them—loudly and openly—what’s right to do when we demand change. Let them see us marching in the streets, organizing protests online, and shouting from every stage we're given."
The performance, broadcast live on BBC, featured chants of “Death to the IDF” and “Free Palestine,” along with Palestinian flags on stage and in the crowd. BBC later described the statements as “deeply offensive,” said the set would not be available on its video on demand service, and expressed regret for not cutting the live feed during the incident.