Glastonbury ‘appalled' at Bob Vylan's ‘death to IDF' chants
The organisers of Glastonbury Festival said they were 'appalled' after a punk act led chants of 'death to the IDF (Israel Defence Forces)' during a performance.
In a statement the festival said the actions of Bob Vylan on Saturday 'very much crossed a line', adding there was no place for 'antisemitism, hate speech or incitement to violence.'
Rapper Bobby Vylan, of the duo Bob Vylan, led crowds on the festival's West Holts stage in chants of 'Free, free Palestine' and 'Death, death to the IDF'.
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Asked about the comments during an interview on Sunday, Wes Streeting, the health minister, said the chants were 'appalling' and that the BBC and festival had 'questions to answer'.
Avon and Somerset police said video evidence would be assessed by officers 'to determine whether any offences may have been committed that would require a criminal investigation'.
The Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) said it would be formally complaining to the BBC over its 'outrageous decision' to broadcast Bob Vylan.
Belfast rap trio Kneecap gave a highly charged performance on Saturday that criticised Sir Keir Starmer, the prime minister, with expletive-laden chants.
The prime minister said last week that it was 'not appropriate' for Kneecap to perform after one of its members, Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, was charged with a terrorism offence for allegedly displaying the flag of Hezbollah, a proscribed terrorist organisation, at a gig last year. He has denied the charge.
Asked about the Bob Vylan performance, Streeting told Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips on Sky News: 'I thought it's appalling, to be honest, and I think the BBC and Glastonbury have got questions to answer about how we saw such a spectacle on our screens.'
He said that people should be talking about the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza and that Israeli settlers attacked a Palestinian Christian village in the West Bank this week, but added: 'The fact that we saw that chant at a music festival, when there were Israelis at a similar music festival who were kidnapped, murdered, raped, and in some cases still held captive; whether it's a Palestinian or an Israeli, whether it's a Christian, a Jew or a Muslim, all life is precious.
'All life is sacred. And I find it pretty revolting we've got to a state in this conflict where you're supposed to sort of cheer on one side or the other like it's a football team.'
Asked if the BBC should have cut the live feed, he said the broadcaster had questions to answer, but that he did not know what the editorial and operational 'challenges' were regarding taking such action.
Culture secretary Lisa Nandy has spoken to the BBC director general about Bob Vylan's performance, a spokesperson said.
On social media, the Israeli Embassy said it was 'deeply disturbed by the inflammatory and hateful rhetoric expressed on stage at the Glastonbury Festival'.
Ted Cruz, the Texas senator, wrote on X that the footage was 'Truly sick. Thousands of people screaming 'Death to the IDF.''
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch called the scenes 'grotesque', writing on X: 'Glorifying violence against Jews isn't edgy. The West is playing with fire if we allow this sort of behaviour to go unchecked.'
A spokesperson for the CAA said 'Our national broadcaster must apologise for its dissemination of this extremist vitriol, and those responsible must be removed from their positions.'
Leading music promoter Harvey Goldsmith, who helped organise Live Aid, said: 'I'm proud to have dedicated my life to Britain's music industry and I'm now horrified to see it become a platform for open hate.
'The BBC must have known the views of Bob Vylan and that there was a risk they would use this the stage in the way they did.
'I can't help but suspect the BBC chose to allow this to happen given the furore over Kneecap.
'If the kind of invective they used had been directed against any other minority, World War Three would have broken out.
'What's happened is an utter disgrace for the BBC and for Glastonbury.'
Lord Austin, the government's trade envoy to Israel, said: 'This disgusting chant is totally unacceptable, and could be incitement to violence. I hope Avon and Somerset police will launch an urgent investigation and if necessary, arrest the band members responsible.
'They bring shame on Glastonbury festival which ought to ensure nothing like this ever happens again.
'And the BBC also needs to take responsibility to make certain that nothing like this is ever broadcast in future.'
A BBC spokesperson said: 'Some of the comments made during Bob Vylan's set 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. We have no plans to make the performance available on demand.'
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