Bob Vylan Glastonbury Anti-Israel Chants: Police Issue Update
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Police have issued an update following Bob Vylan's performance at the Glastonbury Festival over the weekend.
On Saturday, the English punk duo led concertgoers in a chant of "death, death to the IDF," referring to the Israel Defense Forces. The band's members go by the stage names Bobby Vylan and Bobbie Vylan.
Newsweek contacted Bob Vylan's representative for comment via email on Monday.
The Context
Glastonbury—originally called the Pilton Pop, Folk and Blues Festival—was founded by English dairy farmer Michael Eavis in 1970. Today, the music festival—located on Worthy Farm in Somerset, England—has grown into the "largest greenfield music and performing arts festival in the world," according to the Somerset Council.
The festival's organizers faced criticism this year over its decision to allow the Irish-language group Kneecap—which previously condemned Israel's actions in the Gaza Strip—to perform. On October 7, 2023, the Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking another 251 hostage. In response, Israel launched a military operation that has killed more than 56,400 people in Gaza, the Associated Press reported, citing the strip's Hamas-run Health Ministry.
Bob Vylan performing on the West Holts stage during the Glastonbury Festival in Somerset, England, on June 28.
Bob Vylan performing on the West Holts stage during the Glastonbury Festival in Somerset, England, on June 28.
Ki Price/WireImage
What To Know
Following Bob Vylan's Glastonbury performance, the Avon and Somerset Police issued a statement on its website and on X, formerly Twitter.
"We are aware of the comments made by acts on the West Holts Stage at Glastonbury Festival this afternoon," the statement said. "Video evidence will be assessed by officers to determine whether any offenses may have been committed that would require a criminal investigation."
We are aware of the comments made by acts on the West Holts Stage at Glastonbury Festival this afternoon.
Video evidence will be assessed by officers to determine whether any offences may have been committed that would require a criminal investigation. pic.twitter.com/w2RQ4LdQf3 — Avon and Somerset Police (@ASPolice) June 28, 2025
What People Are Saying
On Sunday, Bobby Vylan posted a statement on Instagram alongside the caption, "I said what I said": "As I lay in bed this morning, my phone buzzing non stop, inundated with messages of both support and hatred, l 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. She expressed that she would like healthier meals, more options and dishes inspired by other parts of the world. Listening 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. As 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. Let 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. Today it is a change in school dinners, tomorrow it is a change in foreign policy."
Glastonbury Festival and Emily Eavis, Michael Eavis' daughter, shared a statement to their official Instagram accounts: "Glastonbury Festival was created in 1970 as a place for people to come together and rejoice in music, the arts and the best of human endeavor. As a festival, we stand against all forms of war and terrorism. We will always believe in—and actively campaign for—hope, unity, peace and love.
"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.
"However, we are appalled by the statements made from the West Holts stage by Bob Vylan yesterday. 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 Israeli Embassy in England wrote on X: "The Embassy of Israel in the United Kingdom is deeply disturbed by the inflammatory and hateful rhetoric expressed on stage at the Glastonbury Festival.
"Freedom of expression is a cornerstone of democracy. But when speech crosses into incitement, hatred, and advocacy of ethnic cleansing, it must be called out—especially when amplified by public figures on prominent platforms.
"Chants such as 'Death to the IDF,' and 'From the river to the sea' are slogans that advocate for the dismantling of the State of Israel and implicitly call for the elimination of Jewish self-determination. When such messages are delivered before tens of thousands of festivalgoers and met with applause, it raises serious concerns about the normalization of extremist language and the glorification of violence.
"We call on Glastonbury Festival organizers, artists, and public leaders in the U.K. to denounce this rhetoric and reject of all forms of hatred."
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: "There is no excuse for this kind of appalling hate speech."
U.S. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas wrote on X: "Truly sick. Thousands of people screaming 'Death to the IDF.' This is the base of the Democrat Party."
What Happens Next
Glastonbury Festival is taking what is known as a "fallow year" in 2026 to give the land at Worthy Farm a break from heavy pedestrian traffic.
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