Credit: Kim Metso

Chuck D has defended Bob Vylan following their pro-Palestine chants at Glastonbury Festival last month. The Public Enemy member, known for his politically and socially conscious lyrics, made a new statement supporting the duo.

Throughout their festival set, Vylan chanted “free Palestine” and “death to the IDF,” which has been condemned by Prime Minister Keir Starmer, the BBC and Glastonbury themselves.

During an interview with The Independent, Chuck D sided with the words Vylan used to get their point across on stage. “When people say death to a country, they’re not saying death to a people,” he said. “They’re saying death to imperialism, death to colonialism.

“Bob Vylan ain’t got no tanks. They’re using words to say something must end. You can’t really kill nobody with a guitar or a microphone, but you could kill somebody with a drone and a fucking tank.” He added, “We have to be able to fight for peace and love by any means necessary.”

Following their performance, Vylan released a statement in response to the controversy surrounding their comments.

“The government doesn’t want us to ask why they remain silent in the face of this atrocity? To ask why they aren’t doing more to stop the killing? To feed the starving?” they said. “The more time they talk about Bob Vylan, the less time they spend answering for their criminal inaction.

“We are being targeted for speaking up. We are not the first. We will not be the last. And if you care for the sanctity of human life and freedom of speech, we urge you to speak up, too.”

The duo were banned from the US because “foreigners who glorify violence and hatred are not welcome visitors to our country.”