MPs and Jewish leaders have called for Bob Vylan’s upcoming Manchester show to be cancelled.
- READ MORE: Bob Vylan: “We’ve been screaming about these topics at the top of our lungs for years. Why has it taken this long?”
The Jewish Representative Council of Greater Manchester (JRC) has urged Manchester Academy to cancel the punk-rap duo’s November 5 show in a letter supported by 10 MPs.
It follows Bob Vylan’s set at Glastonbury 2025 in June, which was broadcast live on the BBC and saw them lead the crowd in chants of “death, death to the IDF [Israel Defence Forces]”.
Following the show, Avon and Somerset Police announced that they had launched a criminal investigation, while the duo had their US tour visas revoked ahead of planned October shows.
They later called out BBC director-general Tim Davie after he called the corporation’s decision to broadcast the duo’s set live “a very significant mistake.”
The band, who have denied allegations of antisemitism, were dropped from Manchester’s Radar festival in July but are planning to return to the city on their ‘We Won’t Go Quietly’ tour next month.
In response, the JRC has shared a statement saying it’s “deeply concerned by Manchester Academy’s decision to host Bob Vylan” and that their “statements and actions do not provoke debate but carry a real danger.”
Adding that there’s a “vital distinction between legitimate criticism of the Israeli government and speech that veers into antisemitism,” the JRC urged the venue to “cancel the performance and commit to clear policies to ensure that it will not legitimise prejudice under the guise of freedom of speech.”
𝐁𝐨𝐛 𝐕𝐲𝐥𝐚𝐧 & 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐀𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐲
We were due to release the following statement supported by a number of Greater Manchester MPs on Friday 3rd October. Obviously this had to be delayed following the terrorist attack targeting our community.
Over… pic.twitter.com/Dpf7wVFCS6
— Jewish Representative Council of GM & Region (@JewishMCR) October 6, 2025
Labour MPs Elsie Blundell, Kirith Entwhistle, James Frith, Navendu Mishra, Jo Platt, Connor Rand, Graham Stringer, Christian Wakeford and Paul Waugh and Liberal Democrat MP Tom Morrison backed the statement.
NME has approached Manchester Academy for comment.
The JRC first sent a letter three weeks ago and was due to release its second statement last Friday (October 3), but delayed it due to the Manchester synagogue attack the previous day.
Jihad al-Shamie attacked Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue in the suburb of Higher Crumpsall. Three people, including al-Shamie, were killed in the incident with a further three injured.
Since the attack, demands to cancel Bob Vylan’s show have gained traction, and JRC chief executive Marc Levy said that there had to be a balance between freedom of expression and the safety of the Jewish community in the city.
Levy, whose father Alan was among the congregants at the synagogue at the time, said (via The Guardian): “I have grown up there, my kids have grown up there, and people who I’ve known all my life now have this sadness in their eyes.
“The worst thing is that the attack was inevitable. It was inevitable because you have individual venues prepared to give a platform to artists like Bob Vylan who talk about ‘hunting down Zionists’ and ‘death to the IDF’.
“We understand the need for freedom of expression, but we can’t be having people like that performing on our streets.”
Last month, meanwhile, a Bob Vylan gig was cancelled in the Netherlands after frontman Bobby Vylan was accused of celebrating the assassination of right-wing commentator and Donald Trump ally Charlie Kirk in the US.
After Bobby’s comments – which included calling Kirk a “piece of shit” – the 013 venue in Tilburg announced that they had cancelled the band’s show there. For their part, the band shared a video denying they had celebrated Kirk’s death. “I did call him a piece of shit, that much is true,” Bobby said, “But at no point was his death celebrated.”
