'Because of IDF emblem': Woman arrested at London demonstration against 'Death to IDF' singer

Korfa Patel, a young British woman wearing a shirt with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) emblem, was arrested on Tuesday outside a musical performance by the duo known as “Bob Vylan” in north-west London.

The duo is known for its anti-Israel stance and for shouting “Death to the IDF” at the Glastonbury music festival.

Patel, a Christian who expresses support for Israel on social media, was detained outside the show. According to her friends, her arrest was only due to her wearing a shirt with the IDF emblem – something that London police apparently viewed as a provocative act.

An organization called OurFightUK, affiliated with the British right, announced that it would demonstrate outside the concert: “Tonight we’ll be outside the O2 Forum in Kentish Town to proudly show our support for Zionism – the belief that Jews have the right to a state – to remind people that the lessons of the Holocaust cannot be erased, and to recognize the courage and sacrifice of the IDF.”

In an open letter to the Metropolitan Police, they wrote, “We assert our right to walk the streets of Britain wearing a perfectly legal T-shirt. We assert our right to attend a concert. And we assert our right not to be arrested under any fabricated charge that you think might appease the antisemitic mob – a mob that seeks to drive Jews and Israelis out of public life.”

In June, during the Glastonbury Festival, anti-Israel chants were heard when a member of 'Bob Vylan' shouted “Free Palestine” and “Death to the IDF” on stage.

At another performance by the Northern Irish band 'Kneecap', there were also pro-Palestinian chants, along with slogans against British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Three months later, at a show in Amsterdam, the duo “celebrated” the attempted assassination of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk.

Vylan called Kirk a “piece of s***,” saying that anyone who “talks nonsense” will get what’s coming to them. During the same performance, he repeated the chant “Death to the IDF,” said “f*** the Zionists,” and incited the audience with the words “Go find them in the streets.”