LondonAccording to British authorities, they are looking at recordings of a band at Saturday’s Gloucesterbury Festival leading shouts of death to the Israel Defense Forces.
Crowds at the festival were led in cries of “free, free Palestine” and “death, death to the IDF” by rapper Bobby Vylan, who is part of the rap punk combo Bob Vylan.
According to Avon and Somerset Police, police will evaluate video evidence to ascertain whether any acts that call for a criminal inquiry may have been committed.
On social media, the Israeli Embassy to the United Kingdom voiced its profound distress at the racist and incendiary statements made on stage during the Glastonbury Festival.
On Sunday, Health Secretary Wes Streeting called the band’s behavior “awful.” He told Sky News that the BBC and event organizers needed to respond to inquiries about how the remarks were aired live to millions of people.
According to the government, Lisa Nandy, the Culture Secretary, discussed Bob Vylan’s performance with the director general of the BBC.
The BBC claimed that throughout the live transmission, it displayed a warning regarding extremely offensive and racist language.
Worthy Farm in southwest England hosts Glastonbury, the largest summer music festival in Britain, which attracts about 200,000 music lovers annually. There are 120 stages with around 4,000 acts.
On Instagram, the festival organizers stated that Vylan’s chants had definitely gone too far.
“We would want to remind everyone working on the Festival production that hate speech, antisemitism, and incitement to violence have no place at Glastonbury.
There will undoubtedly be speakers and musicians with viewpoints that differ from our own on our stages during Glastonbury 2025’s nearly 4,000 performances, and a performer’s attendance here should never be interpreted as an implicit endorsement of their beliefs and opinions,” the statement stated.
Irish-language rap group Kneecap was also on Saturday’s festival schedule. In spite of criticism from British lawmakers and a terror charge against one of the three members, the group performed passionately for tens of thousands of fans.
Under the Terrorism Act, Liam G. Annaidh, better known by his stage name Mo Chara, has been charged with aiding a prohibited group for reportedly displaying a Hezbollah flag during a November concert in London.
Before a follow-up court appearance in August, the rapper, who was accused under the anglicized form of his name, Liam O. Hanna, is free on unconditional bail.
The band has come under fire for their political views and lyrics full of profanity and drug references, particularly after recordings purportedly showed the band yelling at Hamas, Hezbollah, and asking for the murder of MPs surfaced.
Band members led the crowd in cries of “Free Palestine” and “Free Mo Chara” on Saturday. Additionally, they directed a chant full of profanity toward British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who has stated that he didn’t think Kneecap’s performance at Glastonbury was suitable.
