Bob Vylan claim they are being ‘targeted' for speaking up about Palestine
The BBC apologised after the set at the West Holts Stage was livestreamed, saying on Monday describing the chants were 'antisemitic sentiments' that were 'unacceptable'.
Bobby Vylan, one half of the British duo, also led his audience in chants that included 'Free, free Palestine'.
Posting a statement on Instagram on Tuesday, captioned 'Silence is not an option', the group said: 'Today, a good many people would have you believe a punk band is the number one threat to world peace.
'Last week it was a Palestine pressure group. The week before that it was another band.'
Bob Vylan performed on the West Holts Stage slot directly before Irish rap trip Kneecap, whose member Liam Og O hAnnaidh, also known as Mo Chara, appeared in court in June charged with a terror offence.
A post shared by Bob Vylan (@bobbyvylan)
Kneecap also led the Glastonbury audience in 'Free Palestine' chants, and on Monday Avon and Somerset Police said it had launched a probe into both performances after reviewing video footage and audio recordings.
The Bob Vylan statement continued: 'We are not for the death of Jews, Arabs or any other race or group of people.
'We are for the dismantling of a violent military machine. A machine whose own soldiers were told to use 'unnecessary lethal force' against innocent civilians waiting for aid.
'A machine that has destroyed much of Gaza.'
The statement added: 'We, like those in the spotlight before us, are not the story.
'We are a distraction from the story. And whatever sanctions we receive will be a distraction.
'The Government doesn't want us to ask why they remain silent in the face of this atrocity? To ask why they aren't doing more to stop the killing? To feed the starving?
'The more time they talk about Bob Vylan the less time they spend answering for their criminal inaction.
'We are being targeted for speaking up. We are not the first, we will not be the last, and if you care for the sanctity of human life and freedom of speech, we urge you to speak up too.'
Avon and Somerset Police said it had launched a probe into both the Bob Vylan and Kneecap performances, with a senior detective appointed to lead the investigation.
A force spokesman said: 'This has been recorded as a public order incident at this time while our inquiries are at an early stage.
'The investigation will be evidence-led and will closely consider all appropriate legislation, including relating to hate crimes.'
The BBC has faced strong criticism for continuing to livestream the Bob Vylan performance on iPlayer with on-screen warnings about discriminatory language.
It has since been revealed that BBC director-general Tim Davie was at Glastonbury when the pro-Palestine chants were broadcast.
A BBC spokesperson said: 'The director-general was informed of the incident after the performance and at that point he was clear it should not feature in any other Glastonbury coverage.'
Bob Vylan have now been banned from the US, where they were due to tour in autumn with performances in Chicago, Brooklyn and Philadelphia.
US deputy secretary of state Christopher Landau said the duo's visas were revoked for their 'hateful tirade at Glastonbury'.
Bobby Vylan is the stage name of Pascal Robinson-Foster, 34, according to reports, while his bandmate drummer uses the alias Bobbie Vylan.
The group was formed in Ipswich in 2017, and are known for addressing political issues in their albums including racism, masculinity and class.
The group are expected to perform at Radar Festival in Manchester on Saturday and at the Boardmasters surfing and music festival in Newquay, Cornwall in August.
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Ms Nandy said the incident at Worthy Farm had raised 'very, very serious questions at the highest levels of the BBC about the operational oversight and the way in which editorial standards are understood', adding that she wanted to see 'rapid action' from the broadcaster. Cabinet minister Jonathan Reynolds said the scenes at Glastonbury raised wider concerns about society. He told BBC Radio 4's Today: 'There are some lessons, I think, for broadcasters from this, but let's also not shy away from the issue, which is people in a crowd glorifying violence. 'I don't think it's something we'd associate with any music festival, but it's a wider societal problem.' He added:'It's possible, I think, to be completely concerned by the scenes in Gaza and not stray into the kind of behaviour and endorsement that we saw with that performance. 'And I'm deeply shocked to be honest, that people would even not realise what I think they're participating in when they do that.' 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Rap-punk duo Bob Vylan says it's being targeted for speaking up about Gaza at Glastonbury
LONDON — Rap-punk duo Bob Vylan on Tuesday rejected claims of antisemitism over onstage comments at the Glastonbury Festival that triggered a police investigation and sparked criticism from politicians, the BBC and festival organizers. The band said in a statement that it was being "targeted for speaking up" about the war in Gaza. Police are investigating whether a crime was committed when frontman Bob Vylan led the audience in chants of "Death to the IDF" — the Israel Defense Forces — during the band's set at the festival in southwest England on Saturday. The British government called the chants "appalling hate speech" and the BBC said it regretted livestreaming the "antisemitic sentiments." U.S. authorities revoked the musicians' visas. 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. In a statement on Instagram, Bob Vylan said: "We are not for the death of jews, arabs or any other race or group of people. We are for the dismantling of a violent military machine. … A machine that has destroyed much of Gaza." Alleging that "we are a distraction from the story," the duo added: "We are being targeted for speaking up." The BBC is under pressure to explain why it did not cut the feed of the performance after the anti-IDF chants. Britain's Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis said "the airing of vile Jew-hatred" by the BBC was a moment of "national shame." "It should trouble all decent people that now, one need only couch their outright incitement to violence and hatred as edgy political commentary, for ordinary people to not only fail to see it for what it is, but also to cheer it, chant it and celebrate it," he wrote on X. Avon and Somerset Police said it is investigating Bob Vylan's performance, along with that by Irish-language hip-hop trio Kneecap, whose pro-Palestinian stance has also attracted controversy. Kneecap member Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh has been charged under Britain's Terrorism Act with supporting a proscribed organization for allegedly waving a Hezbollah flag at a concert in London last year. Since the war began in October 2023 with a Hamas attack on Israel that killed some 1,200 people, Israel has killed more than 56,000 people in Gaza, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.
