Ten Manchester MPs join call to cancel Bob Vylan show after antisemitism fears
Jewish Representative Council urges Manchester Academy to drop November concert, warning artist’s rhetoric “promotes hatred, not debate”
Ten Greater Manchester MPs have joined the Jewish Representative Council (JRC) in calling for Manchester Academy to cancel next month’s Bob Vylan concert, warning that the rapper’s record of inflammatory language “crosses the line from legitimate political discourse into antisemitism incitement.”
In a detailed statement, the JRC said it was “deeply concerned” by the venue’s decision to host the artist on 5 November, highlighting a pattern of behaviour they described as “hateful and dangerous”.
“We are deeply concerned by Manchester Academy’s decision to host Bob Vylan, an artist who has repeatedly engaged in rhetoric that crosses the line from legitimate political discourse into antisemitism and incitement,” the JRC said.
“We are even more alarmed given that the Director-General of the BBC accepted that he was responsible for an antisemitic broadcast by covering their Glastonbury performance – one that directly led to an increase in hate crime against the Jewish community.”
“Subsequently, the band have mocked the murder of Charlie Kirk, performed Nazi salutes on stage and spoken about finding ‘Zionists in the streets’. These statements and actions do not provoke debate but carry a real danger by promoting hatred.”
The council added that while freedom of expression “is a central component of our democracy”, it “cannot be right to platform an artist who has consistently been condemned as hateful and racist.” It urged the venue to introduce “clear policies to ensure it will not legitimise prejudice under the guise of free speech.”
The statement is backed by MPs Elsie Blundell, Kirith Entwhistle, James Frith, Navendu Mishra, Tom Morrison, Jo Platt, Connor Rand, Graham Stringer, Christian Wakeford and Paul Waugh – spanning both Labour and Liberal Democrat representatives from across Greater Manchester.
Their intervention follows months of backlash over Bob Vylan’s Glastonbury set, during which the band’s frontman led chants of “Death, death to the IDF”. The BBC later described the broadcast as “antisemitic” and apologised, with Director-General Tim Davie confirming it had contributed to a spike in antisemitic hate crimes.
The performance also drew condemnation from Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, who called the broadcast “a national shame”, while the U.S. State Department revoked the band’s visas citing “hateful tirades”.
Manchester Academy has been approached for comment.
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