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Dutch Authorities Rule Bob Vylan’s Comments ‘Death to the IDF,’ ‘F–k Zionists’ Are Not Criminally Punishable
Bob Vylan music duo performance at Glastonbury Festival (Source: FLIKR)
The Dutch Public Prosecution Service (OM) has ruled that comments made by the British punk rap duo Bob Vylan during a concert in September, in which they called for violence against the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Zionists, are not punishable by law.
The OM wrote on its website on Wednesday that it dismissed charges against Bob Vylan “after a careful investigation” into four offensive statements made by the band during a concert in Amsterdam’s Paradiso music hall on Sept. 13.
“Although they may be perceived as provocative and harsh, they do not constitute group defamation, incitement to hatred or discrimination, or incitement according to the Public Prosecution Service,” the OM said. “The question of whether a statement is inappropriate or reprehensible is not taken into consideration by the Public Prosecution Service.”
During the concert in September, Bob Vylan lead singer Bobby Vylan, whose real name is Pascal Robinson-Foster, shouting “Death, death to the IDF.” He also encouraged audience members to “fight” Zionists.
“F–k Andy, f–k the fascists, f–k the Zionists,” he proclaimed. “Get out there and fight them. Get out there and meet them in the sfreets. Get out there and let them know that you do not fucking stand by them. Do you understand me?”
In the same show he told the crowd: “But sometimes, sometimes you also have to represent kicking a Nazi in the f–king face!” He also mentioned conservative activist and pro-Israel advocate Charlie Kirk, who was fatally shot the prior week in Utah.
“Because if you talk s–t, you will get banged. Rest in peace, Charlie Kirk, you piece of s–t,” Robinson-Foster said from the stage.
The OM said Dutch police received “dozens of reports about the concert,” and 35 organizations and private individuals pressed charges against Bob Vylan. The Public Prosecution Service concluded, however, that none of the four assessed statements contain incitement to violence.
“Although the statements are provocative and harsh in tone, the Prosecution Service interprets them as calls for activism and political involvement, which fit with the expressive and confrontational style of the punk genre,” the OM explained.
The OM noted that for something to be punishable under Dutch discrimination law, there needs to be “actual incitement to hatred or violence against a group of people on the grounds of, among other things, their race or religion.”
The Public Prosecution Service said it’s not clear that Bob Vylan’s comments about Zionists “implicitly refer to Jewish people as a group,” but merely reference Zionism as a “political movement and ideology.” The four statements therefore “do not contain punishable discrimination,” according to the Public Prosecution Service. All parties that pressed charges have been notified by the office about its decision and can file a complaint with the court of appeals if they object.
The Central Jewish Consultation (CJO), an umbrella organization of Jewish groups in the Netherlands, said it will appeal the OM’s decision, and CJO’s Chairman Chanan Hertzberger described the ruling as “lax,” according to NL Times.
The CJO tried to cancel Bob Vylan’s performance in the Dutch city of Nijmegen on Sept. 15 through a court order and the band’s Sept. 16 concert at Poppodium 013, a club in Tilburg, The Netherlands. A judge allowed the Sept. 15 concert to proceed, but the venue for the Sept. 16 concert canceled the show because of the band’s controversial remarks in Amsterdam.
The Center for Information and Documentation on Israel (CIDI), which filed a complaint following Bob Vylan’s “Death to the IDF” comments, said the organization is looking into potential legal action after the OM’s ruling, NL Times added.
Robinson-Foster first proclaimed “death, death to the IDF” from on stage during the Glastonbury Festival in Somerset, England, in June. During a recent podcast interview, he said he does not regret saying the anti-IDF remark.
It is “not regretful of it at all,” the musician said, adding that he “would do it again tomorrow, [and] twice on Sundays.” Robinson-Foster also called “death to the IDF” a “perfect chant.” He further insisted in a post on X that there “was nothing antisemitic or criminal about anything I said at Glastonbury.”
After the September concert in Amsterdam, Robinson-Foster posted a video on social media in which he denied celebrating Kirk’s murder. “At no point whatsoever did we celebrate Charlie Kirk’s death,” he said. “I did call him a piece of s–t. That much is true. But at no point was his death celebrated.” The singer did not address the anti-Zionist remarks.
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Trump Threatens to Hit Iran Infrastructure on Tuesday if Strait Remains Blocked
US President Donald Trump arrives to award the medal of honor to Master Sgt. Roderick ‘Roddie’ W. Edmonds, Staff Sgt. Michael H. Ollis, and retired Command Sgt. Maj. Terry P. Richardson during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 02 March 2026.
US President Donald Trump said in an expletive-laden social media post on Sunday that the United States will target Iran’s power plants and bridges on Tuesday if the Strait of Hormuz is not reopened.
“Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it!!!” Trump said in a Truth Social post, referencing the key shipping lane that Tehran has effectively closed since the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran more than a month ago.
“Open the Fuckin’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell – JUST WATCH!,” Trump said, ending his Easter morning post with: “Praise be to Allah.”
The president separately said he would hold a news conference on Monday in the Oval Office, after the US military rescued two US pilots whose aircraft were downed in Iran.
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Zelensky in Syria to Discuss Security Cooperation with Sharaa
FILE PHOTO: Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy looks on during an interview with Reuters, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine March 25, 2026. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko/File Photo
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pledged to work for enhanced security in talks on Sunday with his Syrian counterpart Ahmed al-Sharaa, as Kyiv seeks to promote its military expertise across the region following the outbreak of the Iran war.
Zelensky, continuing his tour of Middle East countries, also said Ukraine wants to contribute to food security in the region.
In recent weeks, Zelensky has visited several countries across the Middle East, offering Ukrainian expertise in countering drone and missile attacks, developed during its four-year war with Russia.
“We agreed to work together to provide more security and opportunities for development for our societies,” Zelensky wrote on Telegram. “There is a great interest in exchanging military and security experience.”
Zelensky told the Syrian leader that Ukraine, as a major grain producer, was a reliable supplier of food and said the two leaders “discussed joint opportunities to strengthen food security across the region.”
In Turkey on Saturday, Zelensky said he had agreed on “new steps” in security cooperation with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, and discussed opportunities in joint gas infrastructure projects and gas field development.
“Today in Damascus we continue our active Ukrainian diplomacy aimed at real security and economic cooperation,” Zelensky said on X after his arrival.
It was the Ukrainian leader’s first trip to Syria since diplomatic relations were re-established at the end of last year following the fall of Syria’s long-time strongman Bashar al-Assad.
Zelensky’s talks with Sharaa were linked to defense in light of the US-Israeli war in Iran, said one Syrian source, a government adviser. Syria is not known to have any air defenses capable of dealing with Iranian drones or missiles.
During Zelensky’s visits to Gulf states last weekend, Ukraine signed long-term military cooperation deals with Saudi Arabia and Qatar, and he said that a similar agreement was close to completion with UAE.
Syria is home to two major Russian military bases, used by its navy and air force. Sharaa said on Tuesday at an event in Chatham House in London that work was under way to transform these into “centers to train the Syrian army.”
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China Ready to Cooperate with Russia to Ease Middle East Tension, Foreign Minister Says
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi attends the 14th EAST Asia Summit Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in the 57th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting at the National Convention Center, in Vientiane, Laos July 27, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Chalinee Thirasupa/File Photo
China is willing to continue to cooperate with Russia at the UN Security Council and make efforts to cool down the Middle East situation, Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in a phone call on Sunday.
Wang said the fundamental way to resolve navigation issues in the Strait of Hormuz is to achieve a ceasefire as soon as possible, adding that China has always advocated political settlement of hotspot issues through dialogue and negotiation.
The foreign ministers’ call came ahead of a U.N. Security Council vote next week on a Bahraini resolution to protect commercial shipping in and around the Strait of Hormuz.
As permanent UNSC members, China and Russia should “adopt an objective and balanced approach and seek to win greater understanding and support from the international community,” Wang told Lavrov, according to a statement from his ministry.
China has repeatedly called for a ceasefire in the Gulf region and Middle East, urging an end to the fighting that has run for more than a month and largely closed the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping artery for oil and gas.