Palestinians desperate for aid have been repeatedly gunned down while seeking food and supplies, now solely provided by the so-called Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (backed by the U.S. and Israel). Since beginning its operations in late April 2025, “more than 500 Palestinians have been killed and almost 4,000 injured” while trying to access lifesaving aid at one of four heavily militarized aid distribution sites, according to human rights group OXFAM. At least 60 Palestinian children have starved to death, and the entire population is enduring some level of food insecurity. At least 40 Palestinians were killed Monday in an Israeli airstrike on an oceanside cafe, including journalists and a group of children celebrating a birthday. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights stated that Israel’s actions in Gaza amount to “ethnic cleansing.”
These daily horrors are not, however, the top stories among U.S. and UK publications. Instead, the remarks about (and the reactions to) punk rap group Bob Vylan have dominated the UK press and have made waves in the U.S. media as well. Performing in front of messages calling out Israel’s U.S.-backed genocide in Gaza, frontman Bobby Vylan led the crowd in chants of “free, free Palestine” and “death, death to the IDF.” The performance was being live streamed on British public broadcaster BBC, and the remarks instantly set off the right-wing news media in the UK. Since then, both members of the group have received death threats and are facing potential criminal charges for their speech. The U.S. State Department revoked the duo’s visas ahead of a planned U.S. tour. In statements posted on Instagram, the group refused to bow to threats to their lives and freedom, both anonymous and official. In the statements, they perfectly encapsulate their positions: “We are not for the death of Jews, Arabs, or any other race or group of people. We are for the dismantling of a violent military machine.”
After nearly two years of wholesale destruction of Gaza and routine massacres of Palestinians, asa well as bombings of Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and Iran, it is clear that any lasting peace must come after a serious reckoning with the crimes committed by the Israeli Defense Force. To do so, however, would mean an equally serious reckoning with the politicians and governments who armed and covered for the IDF, namely the governments and many politicians of the U.S. and the UK. This is obviously unacceptable to both establishments, so they continue to deflect and attempt to silence dissent.
The group concludes: “We, like those in the spotlight before us, are not the story. We are a distraction from the story… 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. FREE PALESTINE.”
