By Burak Bir
LONDON (AA) - The British punk-rap duo Bob Vylan, which led a concert crowd in chants of "Free, free Palestine" and "Death, death to IDF," has been dropped from a music festival in Manchester, the organizer said Wednesday.
"Bob Vylan will not be appearing at Radar Festival this weekend," organizers posted on Instagram.
A defiant Vylan said: "Manchester we will back."
"Silence is not an option. We will be fine, the people of Palestine are hurting," he wrote on Instagram.
The duo was cancelled at the Radar Festival on July 4 because of the controversy surrounding its appearance last Saturday at the Glastonbury Festival.
Meanwhile, the BBC reported that Bob Vylan had also been set to perform at the French Kave Fest on Sunday, but organizers there told the British broadcaster that the appearance has been also been pulled.
British police said Monday that officials launched a criminal investigation into the duo’s performance at the Glastonbury Music Festival for its chants against the Israeli army.
Police said officials made the decision after reviewing video and audio of the performance.
It followed a statement by the BBC that said it regretted its decision not to pull the livestream for Bob Vylan's Glastonbury set, during which rapper Bobby Vylan led crowds in chants of “Free, free Palestine” and “Death, death to the IDF,” referring to the Israeli military.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer labeled the performance as "appalling hate speech."