{"id":225534,"date":"2025-06-30T02:44:12","date_gmt":"2025-06-30T02:44:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/225534\/"},"modified":"2025-06-30T02:44:12","modified_gmt":"2025-06-30T02:44:12","slug":"rap-duo-bob-vylan-leads-anti-idf-chants-at-glastonbury","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/225534\/","title":{"rendered":"Rap Duo Bob Vylan Leads Anti-IDF Chants At Glastonbury"},"content":{"rendered":"

LONDON (AP) \u2014 British police said they were examining videos of a band that led chants of \u201cdeath to the IDF\u201d \u2014 Israel Defense Forces \u2014 at the Glastonbury Festival<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Rapper Bobby Vylan, of rap punk duo Bob Vylan, led crowds attending the festival on Saturday in chants of \u201cfree, free Palestine\u201d and \u201cdeath, death to the IDF.\u201d<\/p>\n

Avon and Somerset Police said that it was aware of comments made by acts at the festival, and said officers will review video evidence \u201cto determine whether any offenses may have been committed that would require a criminal investigation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Irish-language rap group Kneecap<\/a> also performed Saturday despite a terror charge for one of its members over allegedly supporting Hezbollah, leading a huge crowd in chants of \u201cFree Palestine.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Israeli Embassy to the U.K. said on social media that it was \u201cdeeply disturbed by the inflammatory and hateful rhetoric expressed on stage at the Glastonbury Festival.\u201d<\/p>\n

Health Secretary Wes Streeting on Sunday condemned Bob Vylan\u2019s actions as \u201cappalling.\u201d He told Sky News that the BBC and festival organizers had to answer questions about how the comments were broadcast live to millions.<\/p>\n

However, he also urged Israel to \u201ctake the violence of their own citizens towards Palestinians more seriously\u201d when asked about the Israeli embassy\u2019s condemnation of the band\u2019s actions.<\/p>\n

\"BobBob Vylan led chants of “death, death to the IDF” and “free Palestine” during Britain’s Glastonbury Festival on Saturday June 28, 2025.<\/p>\n

Yui Mok – PA Images via Getty Images<\/p>\n

The minister referred to the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza and \u201cthe fact that Israeli settler terrorists attacked a Christian village this week, setting it on fire,\u201d and urged Israel to \u201cget your own house in order.\u201d<\/p>\n

The government said its culture secretary has spoken to the BBC director general about Bob Vylan\u2019s performance.<\/p>\n

The BBC said it issued a warning on screen about \u201cvery strong and discriminatory language\u201d during the live stream.<\/p>\n

Glastonbury is Britain\u2019s biggest summer music festival and draws some 200,000 music fans each year to Worthy Farm in southwest England. Almost 4,000 acts perform on 120 stages.<\/p>\n

Festival organizers said on Instagram that Vylan\u2019s chants \u201cvery much crossed a line.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are urgently reminding everyone involved in the production of the Festival that there is no place at Glastonbury for antisemitism, hate speech or incitement to violence.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWith almost 4,000 performances at Glastonbury 2025, there will inevitably be artists and speakers appearing on our stages whose views we do not share, and a performer\u2019s presence here should never be seen as a tacit endorsement of their opinions and beliefs,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n

Bobby Vylan obliquely addressed the controversy in a social media statement<\/a> on Sunday, sharing a story about his daughter with the caption, \u201cI said what I said.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAs I lay in bed this morning, my phone buzzing non stop, inundated with messages of both support and hatred, I listen to my daughter typing out loud as she fills out a school survey asking for her feedback on the current state of her school dinners,\u201d it read. \u201cShe expressed that she would like healthier meals, more options and dishes inspired by other parts of the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"BobBob Vylan crowd surfs during his performance on the West Holts Stage, during the Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm in Somerset on Saturday.<\/p>\n

Yui Mok – PA Images via Getty Images<\/p>\n

\u201cListening to her voice her opinions on a matter that she cares about and affects her daily, reminds me that we may not be doomed after all. Teaching our children to speak up for the change they want and need is the only way that we make this world a better place.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAs we grow older and our fire possibly starts to dim under the suffocation of adult life and all its responsibilities, it is incredibly important that we encourage and inspire future generations to pick up the torch that was passed to us,\u201d the statement continued. \u201cLet us display to them loudly and visibly the right thing to do when we want and need change. Let them see us marching in the streets, campaigning on ground level, organizing online and shouting about it on any and every stage that we are offered.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cToday it is a change in school dinners, tomorrow it is a change in foreign policy,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n

Bob Vylan\u2019s two members both keep their real names secret for privacy reasons. Founded in 2017, the band has released four albums.<\/p>\n

Kneecap, which has drawn criticism over its comments on Middle East politics, also gave an impassioned performance for tens of thousands of fans.<\/p>\n

Liam \u00d3g \u00d3 hAnnaidh, who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, has been charged under the Terrorism Act with supporting a proscribed organization for allegedly waving a Hezbollah flag<\/a> at a concert in London in November.<\/p>\n

The rapper, who was charged under the anglicized version of his name, Liam O\u2019Hanna, is on unconditional bail before a further court hearing in August.<\/p>\n

The group has been under scrutiny since videos emerged allegedly showing the band shouting \u201cup Hamas, up Hezbollah\u201d and calling on people to kill lawmakers.<\/p>\n

On Saturday band members led the audience in chants of \u201cFree Palestine\u201d and \u201cFree Mo Chara.\u201d They also aimed an expletive-laden chant at U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who has said he didn\u2019t think it was \u201cappropriate\u201d for Kneecap to play Glastonbury.<\/p>\n

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We remain committed to providing you with the unflinching, fact-based journalism everyone deserves.<\/p>\n

Thank you again for your support along the way. We\u2019re truly grateful for readers like you! Your initial support helped get us here and bolstered our newsroom, which kept us strong during uncertain times. Now as we continue, we need your help more than ever. We hope you will join us once again<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Rod Stewart, Olivia Rodrigo and The Prodigy are among acts playing Sunday for Glastonbury\u2019s final day.<\/p>\n