English punk-rap duo Bob Vylan addressed accusations by the UK government and others that they were antisemitic after their Glastonbury performnce at the weekend, and said that the controversy surrounding them was a distraction from the real issue at hand: Gaza.
“We are not for the death of Jews, Arabs or any other race or group of people” they said in a statement issued on Tuesday. “We are for the dismantling of a violent military machine. A machine who’s own soldiers were told to use ‘unnecessary force’ against civilians waiting for aid. A machine that has destroyed much of Gaza. We, like those in the spotlight before us, are not the story. We are a distraction….The government doesn’t want us to ask them why they are silent in the face of this atrocity. To ask why they aren’t doing more to stop the killing. We are being targeted for speaking up”.
