Five arrests made outside Bob Vylan gig as protests take place

Five people have been arrested outside a Bob Vylan gig in London including one on suspicion of assault following an altercation.

The punk duo, made up of Bobby Vylan, real name Pascal Robinson-Foster, and Bobbie Vylan, real name Wade Laurence George, performed at the O2 Kentish Town Forum on Tuesday night, with protests from Stop The Hate and the Palestine Coalition taking place beforehand.

Bob Vylan hit the headlines in June, after Robinson-Foster led chants of “death, death to the IDF (Israel Defence Forces)” during their BBC live-streamed performance at Glastonbury Festival, which prompted an investigation to be launched by Avon and Somerset Police.

Officers said the arrests in London took place at the two protests prior to the performance.

A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: “One man from the pro-Palestine protest was arrested in relation to chants referencing the IDF.

“One person from the Stop The Hate protest was arrested on suspicion of common assault following an altercation involving another protester.

“A further three people, two from the Stop The Hate protest and one from the pro-Palestine protest, were arrested on suspicion of breaching Public Order Act conditions.”

Police said they continued to have officers in the area as the concert concluded.

Prior to the planned protest, officers told protesters their demonstrations must end by 9.30pm, and said Stop The Hate must remain in the “blue area” in Fortress Walk, while the Palestine Coalition and other groups needed to stay in the “orange area” in Highgate Road.

It comes after the Metropolitan Police revealed they will take “no further action” over comments at a Bob Vylan performance at London’s Alexandra Palace in May, supporting 78-year-old Lust For Life singer Iggy Pop, following an investigation.

In a video, Robinson-Foster appears to say: “Death to every single IDF soldier out there as an agent of terror for Israel. Death to the IDF.”

On Monday, a man in his 30s, understood to be Robinson-Foster, attended an Avon and Somerset Police interview in relation to the punk duo’s Glastonbury performance.

It comes after British Airways paused their sponsorship of the Louis Theroux podcast in October following an interview with Robinson-Foster, which saw him say he was “not regretful” of the chant and would “do it again tomorrow”.

Following their Glastonbury appearance, the group were later dropped from a number of festivals and performances including Radar festival, a show at a German music venue and a US tour after their visas were revoked.

Bob Vylan recently also had to postpone two UK gigs over “political pressure” including a show in Manchester following calls by Jewish leaders and MPs for it to be cancelled.

Despite the criticism, the duo, completed by drummer Bobbie Vylan, real name Wade Laurence George, have also seen support from fans, with their album Humble As The Sun re-entering the charts over the summer.