Uncategorized
Jewish Council, British MPs Urge Manchester Academy to Nix Concert by ‘Antisemitic’ Band Bob Vylan
Bob Vylan music duo performance at Glastonbury Festival (Source: FLIKR)
British Members of Parliament and Jewish leaders are urging the college preparatory school Manchester Academy to cancel a concert next month featuring the punk-rap duo Bob Vylan because of the band’s promotion of antisemitism.
The Jewish Representative Council of Greater Manchester (JRC) & Region said this week in a released statement, backed by 10 MPs, that it is “deeply concerned” about the school’s decision to host Bob Vylan on Nov. 5 after the band has “repeatedly engaged in rhetoric that crosses the line from legitimate political discourse into antisemitism and incitement.” The JRC said Bob Vylan’s “statements and actions do not provoke debate but carry a real danger by promoting hatred.” The statement was backed by 10 British lawmakers, including Greater Manchester Labour MPs Navendu Mishra, Jo Platt, Graham Stringer, Christian Wakeford, and Paul Waugh.
While performing at the Glastonbury Festival in June in Somerset, England, Bob Vylan led the crowd in chanting, “Free, free Palestine” and “Death, death to the IDF,” referring to the Israel Defense Forces. The band’s lead singer, Pascal Robinson-Foster, also complained on stage about working for a “f–king Zionist.” Their Glastonbury set was broadcast live on the BBC, whose chairman later apologized for airing the band’s “unconscionable antisemitic views.” The BBC also apologized for live streaming Bob Vylan’s “offensive and deplorable behavior” while UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the anti-IDF chant as “appalling hate speech.”
There was a recorded rise in antisemitic incidents in the United Kingdom the day after the band’s Glastonbury performance. Bob Vylan has denied accusations about the band being antisemitic.
Following the ordeal at Glastonbury, Bob Vylan was removed from the lineup for Manchester’s Radar Festival and France’s Kave Fest, their US visas were revoked ahead of their North America tour, and they were dropped by their talent agency. The band plans to visit Manchester next month on their “We Won’t Go Quietly” tour.
“There is a vital distinction between legitimate criticism of the Israeli government and speech that veers into antisemitism,” the JRC noted in its statement. “Freedom of expression is a central component of our democracy that must be protected but it cannot be right to platform an artist who has consistently been condemned as hateful and racist. We call on the Manchester Academy to cancel the performance and commit to clear policies to ensure that it will not legitimize prejudice under the guise of freedom of speech.”
The Chief Executive of the JRC is Marc Levy, whose father, Alan Levy, was among congregants at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue in Manchester when it was attacked last week on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. The stabbing attack left two congregants dead and three other people injured. The attacker, identified by police as 35-year-old Jihad al-Shamie, 35, was shot dead by officers at the scene of the crime.
The JRC sent a letter to Manchester Academy last month that also demanded the school cancel Bob Vylan’s upcoming concert. The Jewish council said that their statement this week about the concert was originally meant to be released on Oct. 3 but was pushed because of the deadly terrorist attack at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation.
“Over the last few days, we have spoken about how incitement across society is putting the Jewish community in danger,” the JRC said this week. “One of the many issues we have continually raised is how our cultural spaces are being weaponized to support terrorism and glorify violence … The fact a band who are responsible for an ‘antisemitic broadcast’ was booked at one of our city’s most iconic venues is shameful. The fact we have not received a response, even after British Jews weer murdered in cold blood is utterly unforgiveable.”
Uncategorized
Some Tankers Cross Strait of Hormuz Before Shots Fired, Ship-Tracking Data Shows
A satellite image shows the ship movement at the Strait of Hormuz on April 17, 2026, in Space. EUROPEAN UNION/COPERNICUS SENTINEL-2/Handout via REUTERS
More than a dozen tankers, including three sanctioned vessels, passed through the Strait of Hormuz after a 50-day blockade was lifted on Friday, shipping data showed, before Iran reimposed restrictions on Saturday and fired at some vessels.
Reopening the strait is key for Gulf producers to resume full oil and gas supplies to the world, and end what the International Energy Agency has called the worst-ever supply disruption.
US President Donald Trump said on Friday Iran had agreed to open the strait, while Iranian officials said they wanted the US to fully lift its blockade of Iranian tankers.
Western shipping companies cautiously welcomed the announcements but said more clarity was needed, including on the presence of sea mines, before their vessels could transit.
IRAN RESUMES RESTRICTIONS
The ships that passed through the strait on Friday and Saturday via Iranian waters south of Larak island were mainly older, non-Western-owned vessels and included four sanctioned ships, according to ship-tracking data.
Iran arranged passage for a limited number of oil tankers and commercial ships following prior agreements in negotiations, a spokesperson for Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said.
Other ships have been seen approaching the strait and turning back as Iran said it would maintain strict controls as long as the US continues its blockade of Iranian ports.
The UK Navy reported on Saturday that Iranian gunboats fired at some ships attempting to cross the strait.
Some merchant vessels received radio messages from Iran’s navy saying the strait was shut again and that no ships were allowed to pass, shipping sources said on Saturday.
Ship-tracking data showed five vessels loaded with liquefied natural gas from Ras Laffan in Qatar approaching the strait on Saturday morning.
No LNG cargoes have transited the waterway since the US-Israeli war with Iran began on February 28.
Hundreds of ships have been stuck in the Gulf since the conflict started and Tehran closed the strait, forcing Gulf oil and gas producers to sharply cut production.
Top producers such as Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Iraq and Kuwait say they need steady tanker flows and unrestricted passage through the strait to resume normal export operations.
Uncategorized
Trump Greenlights Russian Oil to Ease Strain on Global Markets After War with Iran
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in Washington, DC, US, March 27, 2026. Photo: REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
i24 News – The Trump administration has authorized a 30-day emergency waiver allowing the maritime purchase of Russian oil, reversing a hardline stance in an effort to stabilize skyrocketing global energy prices.
The Treasury Department announced Friday that the license for crude and petroleum products will remain in effect until May 16, 2026, responding to intense pressure from international partners struggling with the fallout of the war with Iran.
This policy pivot comes as a surprise after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent suggested earlier this week that no further exemptions would be granted:
“As negotiations with Iran accelerate, the administration seeks to ensure oil availability for those who need it most. We must prevent a total price collapse for consumers while the geopolitical situation remains volatile.”
Ensuring global oil availability is paramount for the US as over 80 energy facilities in the Middle East have been damaged by recent war with Iran. With the November midterm elections approaching, record-high fuel prices at the pump remain a primary vulnerability for the Republican party. By allowing Russian oil back into the maritime flow, the administration hopes to neutralize “pain at the pump” before voters head to the polls.
Uncategorized
UK: Islamist Group Claims to Attack Israeli Embassy with ‘Drones Carrying Radioactive, Carcinogenic Materials’
A UK man has been arrested for allegedly threatening a group of Jews while wielding an ax on Rosh Hashanah. Photo: Tony Webster / Wikimedia Commons.
i24 News – British police officers in protective clothing were seen investigating a “security incident” near the Israeli embassy in London on Friday, after a jihadist group put out a video showing it launching two drones allegedly carrying radioactive and carcinogenic materials toward the embassy.
“There is an increased police presence in Kensington Gardens and officers are assessing a number of discarded items. As a precaution, some of the officers who have been deployed are wearing protective clothing. We recognize this may concern local residents and the wider public,” police said in a statement.
“Counter Terrorism Policing London are aware of a video shared online overnight in which a group claims to have targeted the nearby embassy of Israel with drones carrying dangerous substances,” the statement further read. “While we can confirm that the embassy has not been attacked, we are carrying out urgent inquiries to determine the authenticity of the video and to identify any potential link between it and the items discarded in Kensington Gardens.”
The incident comes amid a steep hike in antisemitic attacks in Britain targeting Jewish and Israeli individuals and institutions.
The group that released the video was identified as Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia, a shadowy entity with suspected ties to Iran. It has already claimed seven attacks against Jewish institutions, including an arson attack in London where four ambulances owned by the Hatzolah charity were torched.