Glastonbury Festival organisers are “appalled” after punk duo Bob Vylan incited controversy with “death to the IDF” chants during their Saturday performance, per theguardian.com. The London-based group’s frontman, Bobby Vylan, declared, “Sometimes we have to get our message across with violence because that’s the only language some people speak.”
The set, broadcast live by the BBC before being removed from streaming services due to “deeply offensive” comments, has drawn widespread condemnation. Emily Eavis, co-organiser of Glastonbury, issued a statement reiterating the festival’s ethos of “hope, unity, peace and love,” asserting that Bob Vylan’s chants “very much crossed a line” and that there is “no place at Glastonbury for antisemitism, hate speech or incitement to violence.”
Avon and Somerset police have launched an investigation into both Bob Vylan’s and Irish rap trio Kneecap’s performances for potential offenses. Kneecap’s set, which included an anti-Starmer chant, was not screened live due to concerns about breaching “editorial guidelines.”
Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the “appalling hate speech,” while Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting also criticized the chants but urged Israel to “get its own house in order” regarding settler violence.
The Israeli embassy expressed deep disturbance at the “inflammatory and hateful rhetoric,” stating that such chants advocate for the dismantling of Israel and implicitly call for the elimination of Jewish self-determination.
Despite the controversy, numerous artistes, including CMAT, The Libertines, and Gary Lineker, expressed support for the Palestinian cause during their sets, with Nadine Shah reading an open letter in support of activist group Palestine Action.
•Featured image: Bobby Vylan of the duo, who performed on the West Holts stage on Saturday/Yui Mok/PA
