A punk band is not the enemy, a Genocide is

Image - Annie Spratt

This article was originally published on Jul 11, 2025.

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This year's Glastonbury Festival saw Bob Vylan call for the death of a 'a violent military machine' that is killing innocent civilians in Gaza. The Prime Minister called the Act ‘appalling’ and the performance was removed from BBC IPlayer after mere hours. Vylan was dropped by the talent agency UTA, with Radar Festival also cancelling his performance.

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Responding to the backlash, Vylan said: ‘We are not for the death of Jews, Arabs or any other race or group of people. We are for the dismantling of a violent military machine. A machine whose own soldiers were told to use ‘unnecessary lethal force’ against innocent civilians waiting for aid. A machine that has destroyed much of Gaza.’

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The Act occurred a week after Palestine Action Group were accused of entering an RAF base in Oxfordshire and spraying two aircrafts with red paint symbolising Palestinian bloodshed. MPs have now voted in favour of legislation to recognise the group as a terrorist organisation, passing by 385 votes to 26. In contrast, when anti war activists broke into RAF Fairford to prevent US bombers heading to Iraq in 2003, Keir Starmer said it was justified to prevent war crimes. Now, he calls the same thing terrorism, an example of clear hypocrisy. As one of the only MPs who voted against, Zarah Sultana said, ‘You can repair a plane. You can fix a broken window. But you can’t bring back the dead.’

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The media are stark with outrage over a punk band and a protest group ; both distractions with disastrous consequences. The Daily Mail are hiding behind misleading headlines claiming Vylan led ‘death to Israelis’ chant’, pointing blame at a band, but not Israel killing over 56,000 innocent human beings.

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The BBC are refusing to air a documentary on Palestinian doctors but condemning Bob Vylan for a Glastonbury Set that exposed their silence:

‘The United Nations are calling it a genocide’.

‘The BBC are calling it a conflict’.

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If we villainise an artist and protest group wanting the end of a genocidal machine, the UK Government continues not having to answer for their complicity in a genocide.

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Palestine Action Group was the problem last week. Bob Vylan is the problem this week.

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The cycle will continue until there is enough fear installed in people to forget the UK Government is not taking measures to stop UK based components for F35 fighters being delivered to Israel. Jets that shoot missiles, killing paramedics, journalists and innocent civilians.

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In the words of Bob Vylan, ‘We are not the first and we will not be the last and if you care for the sanctity of human life and freedom of speech, we urge you to speak up too.’

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The Israeli military has killed over 56,000 innocent civilians in Gaza including at least 17,400 children and injuring at least 133,000. They are blocking life saving aid like food and medicine from entering, causing mass starvation.