British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Glastonbury organisers expressed outrage on Sunday (June 29) over anti-Israeli military chants made during a performance by punk-rap duo Bob Vylan at the festival.
The duo shouted “Death, death, to the IDF” during their Saturday set, referencing the Israel Defence Forces, the official name of Israel’s military.
Police stated they are assessing whether to initiate an investigation, though they did not name Bob Vylan or Irish rap trio Kneecap, who also condemned Israel during their appearance.
“Officers will review video footage to decide if any crimes were committed requiring further investigation,” Avon and Somerset Police said on X, late Saturday, from the area where the festival takes place.
“This type of appalling hate speech is indefensible,” Starmer said. “I already said Kneecap shouldn’t be given a platform, and that includes other performers inciting violence or issuing threats.”
Festival organisers also condemned Bob Vylan, composed of vocalist-guitarist Bobby Vylan and drummer Bobbie Vylan, for crossing a line with their chants.
“The chants clearly went too far, and we’re urgently reminding all festival participants that Glastonbury does not tolerate hate speech, antisemitism or incitement to violence,” organisers stated Sunday.
The Israeli Embassy in London denounced the “hateful and inflammatory rhetoric” displayed on stage at the music event.
Bob Vylan’s members did not offer any comment when asked for a response regarding the incident.
Starmer also rebuked the BBC, which broadcast parts of the festival live, for airing the performance. “The BBC must explain how this was allowed to go on air,” he said.
The BBC said some parts of Bob Vylan’s set were highly offensive in nature.
“A strong on-screen warning was issued during the live iPlayer broadcast regarding discriminatory and explicit language,” a spokesperson stated.
“We have no intention of making the set available to stream on demand.”
Kneecap followed on stage
The Bob Vylan performance at the West Holts stage occurred shortly before the Irish trio Kneecap played to a large crowd, chanting against Starmer and condemning Israel.
During their show, lead member Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, known as Mo Chara, accused Israel of war crimes, declaring: “There’s no hiding it.”
Mo Chara was charged last month with a terrorism offence after allegedly displaying a Hezbollah flag at a concert. He denies all charges.
Starmer had previously called Kneecap’s Glastonbury appearance “inappropriate” due to their controversial stance.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting, a top member of Starmer’s team, also criticised Bob Vylan’s chants but called out Israeli settler violence in the West Bank.
“I’d also urge the Israeli Embassy to address the behavior of their own citizens and the settlers’ actions in the West Bank,” Streeting told Sky News.
Political journalist Ash Sarkar said punk music is known for stirring up controversy.
“If you don’t want punk acts to act like punks, don’t book them,” said Sarkar, a contributing editor at left-leaning outlet Novara Media.
