
Kneecap and Bob Vylan comments at Glastonbury investigated by police
Police are assessing videos of comments made by Bob Vylan and Kneecap at Glastonbury to decide whether any offences may have been committed.
In a post on social media Avon and Somerset Police said: '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.'
The videos being assessed are understood to include footage of punk duo Bob Vylan and Irish rap trio Kneecap.
The punk duo performed on the stage before Kneecap and led the crowd in chants of: 'Free, free Palestine' and: 'Death, death to the IDF'.
During Kneecap's set, band member Naoise O Caireallain, who performs under the name Moglai Bap, said: 'The Prime Minister of your country, not mine, said he didn't want us to play, so f*** Keir Starmer.'
The band also led crowds in chants of: 'Free Palestine'.
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The Guardian
29 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Kneecap lead anti-Starmer chant during politically charged Glastonbury set
Kneecap began a politically charged set at Glastonbury on Saturday afternoon, leading the crowds in chants of 'Fuck Keir Starmer!' The Irish rap act took to the stage at 4pm for their controversial set, which had been criticised by the UK prime minister as not 'appropriate'. The PM's comment came after band member Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, known as Mo Chara, was charged with a terror offence for holding a Hezbollah flag at a London gig last November. 'We understand colonialism and we understand how important it is to support each other internationally,' said Ó hAnnaidh on the band's support for the people of Gaza who have suffered at the hands of Israel's military and through a lack of aid deliveries. Later on Saturday, an Avon and Somerset police spokesperson said the force was assessing comments made by Kneecap during their set. They told the Guardian: '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.' During the Kneecap performance, a sea of at least 200 Palestinian flags made it difficult for cameras to get a clear shot of the stage from inside the crowd. 'The BBC editor is going to have some job,' Chara joked, referring to the flags. Earlier the broadcaster confirmed it would not be able to support a live stream of the performance. The broadcaster has not yet confirmed when the footage will be available on iPlayer. Users of the Glastonbury app received a push notification almost an hour before the band were due to perform saying the West Holts stage was closed. However, spectators were still getting in 20 minutes before the start of the set. The show opened with clips of news and various TV discussion shows, with politicians and commentators saying the group should be banned and had been 'avoiding justice for far too long'. There was booing from the crowd for Sharon Osborne calling them a 'pathetic band'. 'Glastonbury I'm a free man!' shouted Ó hAnnaidh, to wild cheers from the crowd. 'If anybody falls down, you've got to pick them up. We've got to keep each other safe,' he added. The group, who rap in English and Irish, performed an energetic set including Your Sniffer Dogs Are Shite, Get Your Brits Out and Fine Art in front of a backdrop which said 'Free Palestine', occasionally varying with other phrases including 'Fuck Badenoch', referring to the leader of the Tory party. The crowds chanted: 'Free Mo Chara, free free Mo Chara!' 'Mo Chara's back in court for a trumped up terrorism charge,' said Móglaí Bap, also known as Naoise Ó Cairealláin. 'It's not the first time there's a miscarriage of justice for an Irish person in the British criminal justice system,' he said. Ó hAnnaidh cut a defiant figure, saying his plight in the courts was nothing compared to the suffering of the Palestinian people. The band urged people to come out to support Ó hAnnaidh at his next court date at Westminster magistrates court. 'I want to say a big thank you to the Eavis family [organisers of Glastonbury],' Ó hAnnaidh added, for 'holding strong' in the face of criticism. Asked on Wednesday about the controversy, organiser Emily Eavis said: 'There have been a lot of really heated topics this year, but we remain a platform for many, many artists from all over the world and, you know, everyone is welcome here.' On numerous occasions, the trio chanted 'Fuck Keir Starmer!', with the crowd passionately shouting back. They also had the crowds chanting the Irish republican slogan, 'tiocfaidh ár lá', which translates as 'our day will come'. The band laughed with the crowd asking: 'Is anyone going to see Rod Stewart tomorrow?' The 80-year-old rocker was criticised ahead of his Pyramid stage performance after saying he thought the public should give Nigel Farage 'a chance'. Describing him as Rod the Prod, Ó hAnnaidh said: 'I mean, the man's older than Israel.' Paloma Faith, the musician and public speaker, was in the crowd for Kneecap's performance. She told the Guardian: 'A lot of people are now being demonised because there's such a fear of terrorism. And I understand that fear but I don't think that Kneecap have anything to do with that. They're all about the soul and the heart of freedom of people. 'I don't know anyone who likes to see children being killed on such a huge scale for any reason and I think [Kneecap] stand by that. Obviously they come from the perspective of a marginalised community at the hands of British colonialism.' She said artists who speak out on human rights issues were worried about being misquoted by the press or having their words taken out of context at a time when peaceful activists are coming under increasing attack from governments. She added: 'Everyone's a bit scared now. People are going to jail for stuff that isn't what we perceive as violent. It's scary times.' It comes after the home secretary, Yvette Cooper, said on Monday that the pro-Palestinian campaign group Palestine Action would be proscribed under anti-terror laws. If approved in parliament in a vote next week, this would make membership and support of the group illegal and punishable with a prison sentence under anti-terror laws. On stage, Kneecap reiterated their support for the group and band member JJ Ó Dochartaigh, known as DJ Próvaí, wore a Palestine Action T-shirt, underneath a red boiler suit associated with the group as he surfed the crowd.


BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Woman's Hour Weekend Woman's Hour: SEND, Christiane Amanpour, Self Esteem, Return of the bullet bra
The Department for Education has just released the latest figures that show another rise in the number of Education, Health and Care Plans, or EHCPs, in England. These are the legal documents that outline what support a child or young person with special educational needs and disabilities is entitled to. The BBC's education reporter Kate McGough, Jane Harris, vice chair of the Disabled Children's Partnership, and Jacquie Russell from West Sussex County Council joined Clare McDonnell. Christiane Amanpour has been at the forefront of international news for more than 40 years, reporting from all over the world as a journalist and war reporter as well as being CNN's Chief International Anchor, steering the helm of several programmes including CNN International's nightly interview programme Amanpour. She's now launched a podcast, Christiane Amanpour Presents: The Ex-Files with Jamie Rubin. It's a weekly foreign affairs show, co-hosted with Jamie, a former U.S. diplomat and Assistant Secretary of State and also her ex-husband. Christiane joined Clare to discuss. The musician, songwriter and actress, Rebecca Lucy Taylor, aka Self Esteem won the 2021 BBC Music Introducing Artist of the Year Award and achieved a nomination for the Mercury Prize in 2022 with Prioritise Pleasure. More recently she has performed the lead role of Sally Bowles in the West End production of Cabaret. She talks to Anita Rani about her new album, A Complicated Woman, and performing on the Park Stage at Glastonbury this weekend. The bullet bra has made a recent return to the catwalk and to the cover of British Vogue, where singer Dua Lipa can be seen sporting a blush satin Miu Miu creation in the July issue. But will the silhouette, once favoured by Marilyn Monroe and Madonna, cut through to the high street? And what does that mean for the comfortable t-shirt bras that have been going strong since lockdown? Julia Hobbs, British Vogue's contributing senior fashion features editor has recently road-tested the bullet bra. She joins Clare to discuss the experience, along with Karolina Laskowska, a lingerie designer and the director of The Underpinnings Museum. Presenter: Clare McDonnell Producer: Annette Wells Editor: Rebecca Myatt


Sky News
an hour ago
- Sky News
Riot police clash with protesters calling for end to Serbian president's rule
Serbian riot police have clashed with anti-government protesters calling for snap elections and an end to the 12-year rule of President Aleksandar Vucic. The protest by tens of thousands of demonstrators was held in Belgrade on Saturday after months of persistent demonstrations led by Serbia 's university students that have rattled Mr Vucic's grip on power. The crowd chanted "We want elections!" as they filled the capital's central Slavija Square and several streets around it. Students gave speeches. One, who didn't give her name, said: "Elections are a clear way out of the social crisis caused by the deeds of the government, which is undoubtedly against the interests of their own people. "Today, on June 28 2025, we declare the current authorities illegitimate." Tensions were high before and during the gathering. Riot police had been deployed around government buildings, parliament and nearby Pionirski Park, where hundreds of Mr Vucic's loyalists from across the country have been camping for months. As the protest ended in the evening, some demonstrators threw bottles, rocks and flares at the police who were preventing the crowd from approaching Pionirski Park and confronting Mr Vucic's backers. Skirmishes between riot officers and groups of protesters lasted for several hours, with police firing tear gas to disperse crowds in several locations across Belgrade's city centre. Police detained several dozen protesters, while six officers were reported injured in the clashes, Dragan Vasiljevic, the director of police, told a news conference late on Saturday. Responding to the violence, President Vucic said in an Instagram post: "Serbia always wins in the end." University students have been a key force behind nationwide demonstrations that started after a renovated rail station canopy collapsed, killing 16 people in November last year. Many blamed the concrete roof crash on government corruption and negligence in state infrastructure projects, leading to recurring protests. President Vucic and his right-wing Serbian Progressive Party have repeatedly refused the demand for an early parliamentary vote and accused protesters of planning to spur violence on orders from abroad, which they have not specified. A former extreme nationalist, Mr Vucic has become increasingly authoritarian since coming to power more than a decade ago. He formally says he wants Serbia to join the European Union, but critics say he has stifled democratic freedoms and strengthened ties with Russia and China. While demonstrations have shrunk in recent weeks, the large showing for Saturday's rally suggested that the resolve persists, despite relentless pressure and after nearly eight months of almost daily protests. Serbian police, who are tightly controlled by Mr Vucic's government, said 36,000 people were present at the start of Saturday's protest. An independent monitoring group that records public gatherings said a total of around 140,000 people were in attendance. Serbia's presidential and parliamentary elections are due in 2027.