As U.S. bars Bob Vylan from entry, Canada isn't willing to follow suit

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OTTAWA — As the U.S. State Department takes action to bar English punk duo Bob Vylan from entering the United States after a hateful performance at a UK music festival, Canadian authorities aren’t willing to follow suit.

Calls from across the political spectrum are growing in Canada to exclude the pair from any future visits to this country.

“Death, death to the IDF!” shouted Bob Vylan’s vocalist Pascal Robinson-Foster during Saturday’s performance at the Glastonbury Festival in southwest England, about 40 km south of Bristol.

“Hell yeah, from the river to the sea, Palestine must be, will be — inshallah — it will be free.”

Robinson-Foster also complained on stage about “working for a f***ing Zionist.”

Commonly heard at anti-Israel rallies, the “From the River to the Sea” chant is a call for the extermination of the Jewish State of Israel and its citizens, forcibly extending the Palestinian state from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea.

The BBC are facing criticism for not cutting the live broadcast, later denouncing the duo’s comments as antisemitic and “utterly unacceptable.”

The office of UK PM Keir Starmer said there was “no excuse for this kind of appalling hate speech,” and called on the BBC to explain why Robinson-Foster’s hateful comments were broadcast.

The fallout from the comments has been swift.

Local police opened a criminal investigation while the duo were reportedly dropped by their talent agency.

As well, the U.S. State Department revoked their visas, putting a slate of upcoming American shows in jeopardy.

That police investigation also includes Irish hip-hop group Kneecap, who took the stage on Saturday after Bob Vylan.

Kneecap member Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, 27, faces terrorism charges after reportedly waving the flag of Lebanese terror group Hezbollah at a show in London last November.

Continued hateful comments and repeated accusations of Israel conducting a so-called “genocide” in Gaza during their April performance at Coachella prompted the contentious trio to be dropped by their U.S. visa sponsor and American booking agent.

Kneecap is scheduled to play three Toronto shows in October.

While Bob Vylan have no Canadian shows scheduled, Liberal MP Anthony Housefather are among Canadian politicians calling on the federal government to bar them from future entry to Canada.

“Their conduct at Glastonbury should render them inadmissible for entry,” he told the Toronto Sun, adding he’s made his views known to Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree.

Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner shared the same sentiments.

“The Liberals should follow the lead of the Labour Party in the UK, denounce their hate speech, and ensure they can’t profit off of hate in Canada by denying them entry,” she told the Sun.

On Monday, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) joined calls for both Bob Vylan and Kneecap to be barred entry to Canada.

“Kneecap member Mo Chara (Ó hAnnaidh) is facing terrorism-related charges in the UK, and both bands made headlines at the Glastonbury Festival for inciting hate and glorifying violence — conduct that violates Canadian hate speech laws and contradicts our core values,” read a statement posted online.

While inquiries to Public Safety Canada weren’t returned by press time, responses from the Canadian Border Services Agency indicated no desire to follow suit.

“The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) is not in a position to comment on this specific case,” read a statement, oddly referring the Toronto Sun to the U.S. State Department for comment.

“What we can tell you is the CBSA role is to assess the security risk and admissibility of goods and persons coming to Canada.”

Admissibility of travellers, the statement continued, is decided on a “case-by-case basis” and on information made available at the time of entry.

bpassifiume@postmedia.com
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