Five people were arrested outside a Bob Vylan concert at the O2 Kentish Town Forum in London on Tuesday night, following protests by Stop The Hate and the Palestine Coalition. The punk duo, comprising Bobby Vylan (Pascal Robinson-Foster) and Bobbie Vylan (Wade Laurence George), performed as planned.
One man from the pro-Palestine protest was arrested for chants referencing the Israel Defence Forces (IDF). Another person from the Stop The Hate protest was arrested on suspicion of common assault after an altercation. Three more individuals—two from Stop The Hate and one from the pro-Palestine group—were arrested for breaching Public Order Act conditions, according to the Metropolitan Police.
Police imposed conditions requiring protests to end by 9.30pm, with designated areas: Stop The Hate in the "blue area" on Fortress Walk, and the Palestine Coalition in the "orange area" on Highgate Road. Officers remained in the area as the concert concluded.
The arrests follow controversy over Bob Vylan's previous actions. In June, Robinson-Foster led chants of "death, death to the IDF" during a BBC Glastonbury performance, prompting an Avon and Somerset Police investigation. On Monday, a man in his 30s, believed to be Robinson-Foster, attended a police interview regarding that incident.
In May, the Metropolitan Police took no further action over similar comments at a London Alexandra Palace show supporting Iggy Pop. The band was later dropped from festivals and a US tour after visa revocations, and postponed two UK gigs due to "political pressure".
