The English punk-rap duo Bob Vylan seemingly celebrated the purported assassination of Charlie Kirk during their electrifying performance at Club Paradiso in Amsterdam on Saturday. Videos captured by euphoric concertgoers and rapidly shared across social media platforms revealed frontman Bobby Vylan (the stage name of Pascal Robinson-Foster, with drummer Bobbie Vylan completing the duo) addressing a roaring crowd with unbridled fervor: "I want to dedicate this next one to an absolute piece-of-shit human being. The pronouns were 'was/were.' [Because] if you talk shit, you will get banged. Rest in piss, Charlie Kirk, you piece of shit."
Their inflammatory remarks in Amsterdam came just days after the alleged assassination of Kirk on September 10. The conservative activist and leader of Turning Point USA was reportedly shot and killed while addressing an audience during an event at Utah Valley University, hosted by his nonprofit political organization. A Trump ally, Kirk was fatally struck in the neck by an assassin's bullet as he discussed the troubling issue of mass shootings in the United States.
The frontman also escalated his rhetoric by repeating calls against the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and urging violence against "fascists and Zionists," according to accounts circulating on social media. Hanan Herzberger, chairman of the Central Jewish Council of the Netherlands, condemned the singer's remarks in a statement, saying, "The singer Bob Vylan's call from the stage, 'Go hunt them in the streets,' is nothing but a call for another pogrom in Amsterdam, like the one we witnessed last year."
Bob Vylan had already faced significant backlash earlier this summer after leading "death to the IDF" chants during their set at Glastonbury, one of the world's most renowned music festivals, which was also broadcast on the BBC. The festival organizers condemned the chant, leading UTA to subsequently drop Bob Vylan from their roster and the U.S. State Department to revoke their visas, placing their upcoming North American tour in jeopardy.
The BBC also issued a statement expressing regret for livestreaming their Glastonbury set, stating, "The antisemitic sentiments expressed by Bob Vylan were utterly unacceptable and have no place on our airwaves."
In response to the Glastonbury controversy, Bob Vylan maintained that the duo "are not the story" and argued that they were being unfairly targeted for speaking out.
At Club Paradiso on Saturday, a Palestinian flag was prominently displayed on stage, and the duo shared videos of a post-show protest on their Instagram page, further stoking the flames of controversy.
In a statement posted on its website, Club Paradiso addressed the incident: "On Saturday, September 13, during his performance at Paradiso, artist Bob Vylan made statements that many experienced as harsh and offensive. Paradiso believes in the power of artistic freedom. Music, and punk in particular, has traditionally been a form of art that amplifies anger, discontent, and injustice without filter. In a world on fire, artists sometimes choose language that sounds confrontational or violent. That is part of artistic expression, but not automatically language that we as a venue endorse."
The statement continued, "Paradiso shares the outrage and concern regarding the genocidal violence taking place in Gaza. That Bob Vylan raises his voice against it is legitimate and necessary. Should the Openbaar Ministerie (public prosecution service) wish to investigate whether any criminal offenses have been committed, Paradiso will cooperate."
