Punk duo Bob Vylan have been removed from the lineup of a Manchester music festival in the wake of a controversial performance at Glastonbury.
The group was scheduled to headline Radar Festival at Victoria Warehouse on Saturday, but organizers released a statement confirming their withdrawal.
In response, Bob Vylan addressed fans in an Instagram post, stating: “Manchester, we will be back.”
The band was also slated to perform at France’s Kave Fest on Sunday, but organizers informed the BBC that this appearance had also been canceled.
At Glastonbury, Bob Vylan’s lead singer led the crowd in chants of “death, death to the IDF [Israel Defence Forces],” which drew criticism from across the political spectrum. The Prime Minister denounced it as “appalling hate speech.”
Bob Vylan responded to the backlash in a Tuesday Instagram post, asserting they were being “targeted for speaking up.”
“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,” they clarified.
They further stated that “we, like those in the spotlight before us, are not the story. We are a distraction from the story, and whatever sanctions we receive will be a distraction.”
Avon and Somerset Police have already launched a criminal investigation into Saturday’s performance.
On Wednesday, a Met Police spokesperson confirmed that the band is also under investigation for comments made during a concert at Alexandra Palace a month prior.
“The decision to investigate follows the emergence of footage which appears to have been filmed at the venue on 28 May 2025,” the force told the BBC.
However, the exact launch date of the investigation remains unclear.
In response to the festival cancellations, the band reaffirmed their stance, telling followers: “Silence is not an option. We will be fine, the people of Palestine are hurting.” The group added they would return to Manchester in the future.
Kave Fest organizers, based in Gisors, indicated they would release a statement explaining their decision to remove the band.
A German music venue has also confirmed that Bob Vylan will no longer open for US band Gogol Bordello at a Cologne concert in September.
The BBC has faced criticism for broadcasting the Glastonbury set via a live stream on iPlayer.
In an email to the BBC’s Jewish staff network on Tuesday, Director-General Tim Davie stated: “I was, and remain, appalled by Bob Vylan’s deeply offensive and totally unacceptable behaviour during his Glastonbury set.”
He added the performance had “no place on the BBC” and that “there is absolutely no place for antisemitism at the BBC.”
On Tuesday, UK Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis strongly condemned “the airing of vile Jew-hate at Glastonbury.”
In a Monday statement, the BBC said: “The team were dealing with a live situation but with hindsight we should have pulled the stream during the performance. We regret this did not happen.”
Broadcast regulator Ofcom also issued a statement, expressing “very concerned” about the live stream, adding that “the BBC clearly has questions to answer.”