Glastonbury Festival condemns chants of ‘free Palestine' and ‘death to the IDF'

NBC News

19 hours ago

Palestinian flags waved amid the crowd at the Glastonbury Festival on Saturday as several performers led the audience in chants criticizing Israel's continued military campaign in Gaza.
English punk duo Bob Vylan came under fire after appearing to encourage tens of thousands of audience members to call for 'death' to the Israeli Defense Forces during their set. Following chants of 'Free, free Palestine,' singer Bobby Vylan appeared to switch to a different line: 'Death, death to the IDF.'
'From the river to the sea,' Vylan could be seen saying on video shared across social media, 'Palestine must be, will be, inshallah, it will be free.'
Emily Eavis, co-organizer of the Glastonbury Festival in southwestern England, shared in a statement Sunday that the festival is 'appalled' by Vylan's statements.
'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,' Eavis wrote.
She wrote that the organizers stand against 'all forms of war and terrorism' and will always advocate 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,' Eavis added, 'and a performer's presence here should never be seen as a tacit endorsement of their opinions and beliefs.'
The incident comes as criticism of Israel grows louder around the world, with many in the U.K., U.S. and elsewhere protesting the state's continual bombardment of the Gaza Strip, where the death toll has surpassed 55,000, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Israel has also been accused of war crimes by the U.N. Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
On Saturday afternoon, the Avon and Somerset Police were quick to announce in an X post that officers are assessing video evidence to 'determine whether any offences may have been committed that would require a criminal investigation.'
The BBC, which aired the festival, also said that some of Vylan's comments onstage were 'deeply offensive.'
'During this live stream on iPlayer, which reflected what was happening on stage, a warning was issued on screen about the very strong and discriminatory language,' a spokesperson wrote in an email. 'We have no plans to make the performance available on demand.'
And in a statement issued by the Israeli Embassy in the United Kingdom, officials denounced speech that they said 'crosses into incitement, hatred, and advocacy of ethnic cleansing.' The embassy wrote that chants like 'Death to the IDF,' and 'From the river to the sea' are phrases 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,' the embassy wrote.
Bob Vylan did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
But the punk group wasn't the only act to land in hot water for its conduct at the festival. Northern Irish rap trio Kneecap — which has stirred controversy before for its vocally pro-Palestinian views — also criticized Israel during its set while encouraging chants of 'Free, free Palestine.'
Last month, British authorities charged Kneecap rapper Mo Chara, whose real name is Liam O'Hanna (or Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh), with a terrorism offense after he was accused of displaying the flag of the Hezbollah militant group. He appeared in court earlier this month.
On Saturday, the band appeared to kick off its set with a video compilation highlighting the terror charge as well as politicians criticizing Glastonbury's decision to allow Kneecap to play, according to clips that circulated online.
'I don't have to lecture you people. Israel are war criminals. It's a f-----g genocide,' O'Hanna told the crowd. He also called attention to the number of Palestinian flags in the audience, adding, 'The BBC editors are gonna have some job.'
He then called on the crowd to join him in the chant, emphasizing the 'difference it makes to people in Palestine when they see people from the other side of the world.'
The band also drew backlash earlier this year when it included pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel messaging at Coachella, where it displayed a screen with the words: 'F--- Israel, Free Palestine.'
'The Irish not so long ago were persecuted at the hands of the Brits, but we were never bombed from the ... skies with nowhere to go,' O'Hanna said at Coachella during the band's second weekend performance. 'The Palestinians have nowhere to go.'