The organizers of Glastonbury music festival said on Sunday that they were “appalled” by statements made onstage during a performance by the British punk duo Bob Vylan, in which the lead singer led the crowd in chants of “Death, death to the I.D.F.,” referring to the Israeli Defense Forces.
Glastonbury, Britain’s biggest music festival, had already been facing criticism for its decision to allow Kneecap, an Irish-language rap group, to perform on Saturday, despite pressure from broadcasters and politicians to cut the act after the band voiced anti-Israel statements and one member faced a terrorism charge.
Kneecap’s performance was such a draw at the festival that the arena was already full for Bob Vylan’s set an hour beforehand.
The chants by Bob Vylan’s singer, which were broadcast live on the BBC, drew immediate condemnation from politicians in the United Kingdom.
Israel’s embassy in the United Kingdom, as well as some Jewish groups, accused Glastonbury of promoting hate. Avon and Somerset police said on Saturday that they were reviewing video footage from the stage to determine if any criminal offenses had been committed.
“With 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’s presence here should never be seen as a tacit endorsement of their opinions and beliefs,” said a statement on the Instagram accounts of the Glastonbury Festival and Emily Eavis, one of the festival’s organizers, on Sunday. “However, we are appalled by the statements made from the West Holts stage by Bob Vylan yesterday.”
The statement added: “Their chants very much crossed a line and we 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.”
The band members could not be reached for comment on Sunday.
On Instagram on Saturday night, the band’s lead singer, Bobby Vylan, posted a selfie with a cup of ice cream, captioned: “While zionists are crying on socials, I’ve just had late night (vegan) ice cream.”
In April, Kneecap lost its U.S. visa sponsor after making anti-Israel statements at Coachella.
The next month, the police in Britain charged Mo Chara, one of the band’s rappers, with a terrorism offense for displaying the flag of Hezbollah, the Lebanese militia, onstage at a London show last November.
Several festivals and venues dropped the band from their lineups.
The BBC had said previously that it would cut off its traditional Glastonbury livestreaming for Kneecap’s performance on Saturday. But it did broadcast Bob Vylan’s performance live. During the show, dozens in the crowd waved Palestinian flags.
“You know this is live on the BBC so we have to be careful what we say,” Mr. Vylan said during the set on Saturday.
The punk duo is known for political songs with lyrics that touch on issues including racism, poverty and toxic masculinity.
He went on to chant several pro-Palestinian messages and voiced support for “our mates Kneecap.” He led the crowd in a chant of “Free, free Palestine!” before pivoting into a separate phrase.
“Aye, but have you heard this one though,” the singer said. “Death, death to the I.D.F.!”
Comments in support of Palestinians are common from Glastonbury stages, but the chant was unusual and fewer fans chanted along than to other declarations.
The band is scheduled to go on a U.S. tour this fall, with dates scheduled across the country. As of Sunday, those dates remained on the band’s website.
“I think the BBC and Glastonbury have got questions to be answered about how we saw such a spectacle on our screens,” Wes Streeting, Britain’s health secretary, told Sky News on Sunday.
He called the comments a “shameless publicity stunt.”
Ali Watkins covers international news for The Times and is based in London.
Alex Marshall is a Times reporter covering European culture. He is based in London.
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