UK police probe Bob Vylan’s festival chants against Israeli military
- Last updated: July 1, 2025 | 11:03
British police launched a criminal investigation Monday into a televised performance at the Glastonbury Festival by rap punk duo Bob Vylan, who drew intense criticism after they led crowds of music fans in chanting "death” to the Israeli military.
Meanwhile. the U.S. State Department said it has revoked the U.S. visas for Bob Vylan, who were set to go on tour in the United States later this year, after their "hateful tirade at Glastonbury.”
Rapper Bobby Vylan - who until the weekend was relatively little known - led crowds in chants of "free, free Palestine” and "death, death to the IDF" - the Israel Defense Forces - on Saturday at Britain's biggest summer music festival.
The BBC said it regretted livestreaming the performance.
"The antisemitic sentiments expressed by Bob Vylan were utterly unacceptable and have no place on our airwaves,” the broadcaster said, adding that it "respects freedom of expression but stands firmly against incitement to violence.”
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and U.K. politicians condemned the chants, saying there was no excuse for such "appalling hate speech.”
Avon and Somerset Police said Bob Vylan's performance, along with that by Irish-language band Kneecap, were now subject to a criminal investigation and have been "recorded as a public order incident.”
Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza has inflamed tensions around the world, triggering pro-Palestinian protests in many capitals and on college campuses. Israel and some supporters have described the protests as antisemitic, while critics say Israel uses such descriptions to silence opponents.
Ofcom, the UK's broadcasting regulator, said it was "very concerned” about the BBC livestream and said the broadcaster "clearly has questions to answer.”
The BBC said earlier in its defense that it had issued a warning on screen about "very strong and discriminatory language” during its livestream of Bob Vylan’s act.
US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said the visas for Bob Vylan's two members - who both use stage names for privacy reasons - have been revoked.
"Foreigners who glorify violence and hatred are not welcome visitors to our country,” Landau said in a social media post Monday.
Starmer said the BBC must explain "how these scenes came to be broadcast.”
Bob Vylan, which formed in 2017, have released four albums mixing punk, grime and other styles with lyrics that often address issues including racism, masculinity and politics.
In a statement posted on social media, singer Bobby Vylan said he was inundated with messages of both support and hatred.
"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,” he wrote.
Bob Vylan performed on Saturday afternoon just before Kneecap, another band that has drawn controversy over its pro-Palestinian stance.
Kneecap led a huge crowd in chants of "Free Palestine” at the festival. They also aimed an expletive-laden chant at Starmer, who has said he didn’t think it was "appropriate” for Kneecap to play Glastonbury after one of its members was charged under the Terrorism Act.
Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, was charged with supporting a proscribed organization for allegedly waving a Hezbollah flag at a concert in London last year.
On Saturday a member of the group suggested fans "start a riot” outside his bandmate’s upcoming court appearance - though he then said "No riots, just love and support, and support for Palestine.”
The BBC had already taken a decision not to broadcast Kneecap’s Glastonbury performance live, though it did make available an unedited version of the set to its festival highlights page on BBC iPlayer service.
The Israeli Embassy to the UK said over the weekend it was "deeply disturbed by the inflammatory and hateful rhetoric expressed on stage at the Glastonbury Festival.”
The acts were among among 4,000 that performed in front of some 200,000 music fans this year at the festival in southwest England.
Israel has faced heavy international criticism for its war conduct in Gaza. In May, the U.K., France and Canada issued a sharply worded statement calling for Israel to stop its "egregious” military actions in Gaza and criticizing Israel’s actions in the occupied West Bank.
More than 6,000 people have been killed and more than 20,000 injured in Gaza since Israel ended a ceasefire in March.
Since the war began in October 2023 with a Hamas attack on Israel, Israeli attacks have killed more than 56,000 people and injured 132,000, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. It doesn’t distinguish between civilians and combatants, but has said that women and children make up more than half the dead.
Israel says it only targets militants and blames civilian deaths on Hamas, accusing the militants of hiding among civilians, because they operate in populated areas.
Associated Press