In a further move Monday, Deputy U.S. Secretary Christopher Landau said his department had “revoked the US visas for the members of the Bob Vylan band in light of their hateful tirade at Glastonbury, including leading the crowd in death chants.”
He added: “Foreigners who glorify violence and hatred are not welcome visitors to our country.”
Cross-party pressure
The row has already heaped cross-party pressure on the BBC, Britain’s publicly-funded broadcaster. On Sunday night, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the BBC “needs to explain” why the “appalling hate speech” was broadcast.
The corporation has since admitted it should have pulled the broadcast. Avon and Somerset Police, who cover the area where the famous festival takes placed, announced Monday that they had launched a criminal investigation.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan — who has been sharply critical of Israel’s continued bombardment of Gaza — meanwhile warned that the chants “would not help people in Gaza or the West Bank.”
“It’s possible to be critical — as I am — of [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu and [the] IDF while recognising Jewish people feel very scared and distinguish between them,” he told LBC Radio.
