The European Jewish Association (EJA) has initiated legal proceedings following the December 2 performance of British artist Bob Vylan at Ancienne Belgique in Brussels, reported European Jewish Press.
During the concert, the duo, known as Bobby Vylan and Bobbie Vylan, led the crowd in chants of “Death to the IDF” and “Everybody hates the police,” while wearing a Samidoun-branded t-shirt. Samidoun is officially classified as terror-linked in several countries and undergoing designation procedures as a terrorist organization in others where its activities are already banned.
On Thursday, the investigating judge of the Brussels Court of First Instance received the complaint filed by Belgian attorney Christophe Boeraeve and EJA legal counsel Adv. Shlomo Dahan, authorizing the opening of an investigation into the performance.
The offenses under review include incitement to discrimination, hatred or violence; dissemination of ideas based on racial hatred; assistance to a group promoting discrimination; public provocation to commit a terrorist offense; glorification of terrorism; participation in the activities of a terrorist organization; and provocation to commit offenses against public authorities.
The EJA stressed that in Israel, every citizen is required to serve in the army. “Therefore calls for the death of IDF soldiers are, by definition, understood as directed at every Israeli and every Jew,” the organization said.
“The fact that thousands of Belgian citizens were incited and roused to call for the death of the overwhelming majority of Israelis, while hurling insults at the Belgian police, reflects a profound moral failure and a security threat that Belgian authorities must treat with utmost seriousness,” the EJA added.
Boeraeve and Dahan commented: “Criticise Israeli policy as you wish. But leading thousands to call for the death of the vast majority of Israelis? That is not speech, that is pure incitement. Some might call it rock and roll, provocative performance art. But there is a line. Belgian law draws it clearly. When you lead a crowd to call for the death of people defined by their nationality, that line is crossed.”
In addition to legal action, the EJA has submitted an official complaint to UNIA, Belgium’s federal anti-discrimination authority, requesting that it investigate the incident and consider public and legal measures in response.
EJA Chairman Rabbi Menachem Margolin stated, “Freedom of expression is a pillar of democracy. We recognize it and we defend it. But when an artist leads thousands to chant for the death of others, when hostility toward law enforcement becomes normalized, a red line has been crossed.”
He continued, “Silence is not neutrality, it is complicity. We have initiated legal action and filed an official complaint with UNIA. We now expect the authorities to act. What occurred at Ancienne Belgique is not only a moral lapse, it is a threat to Jewish communities and to Belgian society as a whole, and it demands a firm response.”
Bob Vylan previously came under fire following a performance at the British Glastonbury Festival in June, during which chants of “death, death to the IDF” were heard on stage. British police confirmed last month that the incident is still under investigation.
The performance drew sharp condemnation from Prime Minister Keir Starmer and the Israeli Embassy in London. The BBC faced criticism for continuing to livestream the set despite the inflammatory content. It later apologized.
Following the performance, Bob Vylan was banned from entering the United States ahead of a 20-city tour after the State Department revoked their visa, citing concerns about glorifying violence and hatred. The group was also dropped from a European tour, a German venue, a Manchester music festival, and faced a police investigation.
In October, Bobbie Vylan claimed in an interview that BBC staff actually praised his Glastonbury performance.
“We come off stage. It’s normal. Nobody thought anything. Nobody. Even staff at the BBC were like: ‘That was fantastic! We loved that!’” he claimed.
“Nobody at the BBC at that time was there like: ‘Oh my gosh.’ You know… it was very normal. And then we got back and… we went and got ice cream,” added Vylan