UK Police Probe Band, Ignore UK Military Israeli Arms Exports
UK police swiftly investigated the band Bob Vylan for comments about 'punishing' Israeli soldiers. The New Arab reports a full probe, interviewing a man and contacting 200 members of the public, only to drop it. This while the UK government, according to a 2022 OpenDemocracy investigation, approved over £180 million in arms export licenses to Israel since 2015, including components for military
aircraft and missiles. One might wonder where the real 'threats' are being manufactured. It appears expressing aggressive sentiment towards those engaged in conflict can warrant police attention, but providing the literal tools of said conflict—which have directly contributed to thousands of civilian deaths—is perfectly legal. The performative outrage over hypothetical resistance against
occupation, while actively profiting from it, speaks volumes about selective enforcement. Perhaps the UK police could investigate the actual supply chain of violence instead of artistic expression.