Bob Vylan’s performance at the Radar Festival in Manchester has been cancelled following the fallout from their incitement of violence and hate at Glastonbury.

UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) wrote to the Academy Music Group, owners of the O2 Victoria Warehouse in Trafford Park, Manchester, warning them that Bob Vylan’s performance at the at the Radar Festival on 4-6 July should be cancelled, given the risk that the punk duo would repeat their offensive display of antisemitic chants.  UKLFI listed the potential breaches of the law if the punk duo were allowed to play.

Pascal Robinson-Foster, aka Bobby Vylan, one of the duo in the Bob Vylan band, is already under investigation by Avon and Somerset police following UKLFI reporting his potential breaches of sections 5 and 18 of the Public Order Act on Saturday 28 June at the Glastonbury Festival.  He led the crowd in chants of “Death, Death to the IDF” and “Free, Free Palestine”, as well as shouting that “From the River to the Sea Palestine Shall be Free, Inshallah”.

Robinson-Foster also engaged in an antisemitic rant, sharing with the audience that he used to work for a record label and his boss “would speak very strongly about his support for Israel” and the unnamed boss also signed a letter condemning Kneecap.  Bob Vylan continued: “Who do I see on that f***ing list of names but that bald headed c*** I used to f***ing work for.  So look, we’ve done it all, alright?  From working in bars to working for f***ing Zionists.  And if we can do this, I promise you, you can do absolutely anything that you put your mind to.”

Manchester Jewish Groups and the leader of Trafford Conservatives also called for Bob Vylan’s performance to be cancelled.

UKLFI pointed out to the owners of the venue that if Robinson-Foster repeated the kind of language used at Glastonbury, he was likely  to breach

• section 5 Public Order Act 1986 for using threating and abusive words within the hearing of a person or persons likely to be caused harassment, alarm or distress and
• section 18(1) Public Order Act 1986 for using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour,  whereby having regard to all the circumstances racial hatred was likely to be stirred up.

Since the Glastonbury concert, Robinson-Foster has been dropped by his agents United Talent Agency and the U.S. State Department has revoked the visas of the Bob Vylan duo.     They were scheduled to support American-Canadian singer Grandson on his tour starting in Spokane, Washington in October.  US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau wrote: “Foreigners who glorify violence and hatred are not welcome visitors to our country.”

A spokesperson for UKLFI commented: “We are pleased to see that this kind of antisemitic hateful behaviour is not being tolerated by music venues.  We hope this serves as a lesson to other performers that they cannot be racist and antisemitic with impunity.”