Glastonbury condemns Bob Vylan’s “death to the IDF” chant, calling it hate speech.
Glastonbury Festival found itself in hot water over the weekend when punk duo Bob Vylan sparked outrage with a set full of incendiary chants that festival organizers say “crossed a line.”
Performing on the West Holts stage Saturday afternoon, singer Bobby Vylan led the packed crowd in chants including “death to the IDF [Israel Defense Forces],” “free, free Palestine,” and “from the river to the sea, Palestine must be free.”
By Sunday morning, Glastonbury’s official Instagram—alongside a statement from co-organizer Emily Eavis—made it clear the festival does not condone hate speech of any kind.
“With almost 4,000 performances at Glastonbury 2025, there will inevitably be artists and speakers whose views we do not share,” the statement read.
“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 that there is no place at Glastonbury for antisemitism, hate speech or incitement to violence.”
The performance was broadcast live on BBC iPlayer, but after viewers complained of “deeply offensive” language, the network warned on screen and later announced it would not offer the set on demand.
The BBC said it reflected “what was happening on stage” but had no plans to rebroadcast or archive the footage.
Bob Vylan’s controversy comes in the wake of similar backlash against Irish rap collective Kneecap, who played the same stage earlier in the weekend.
Kneecap’s chants of “fuck Keir Starmer” and “free Palestine” led the BBC to withhold their performance entirely.
Member Mo Chara, who faces recent charges under the U.K. Terrorism Act for unrelated remarks, quipped that the BBC “is going to have some fucking job” dealing with audience reactions.
Local police in Avon and Somerset confirmed they are reviewing video evidence from both sets to decide if any criminal offenses were committed.
At the same time, Britain’s culture secretary has pressed the BBC for details on its vetting process before airing Bob Vylan’s show, noting that the network’s decision not to rebroadcast the set was “welcome.”
As of press time, representatives for Bob Vylan had not responded to requests for comment.
With tensions high over free-speech boundaries and the festival’s broad platform, many are now wondering how Glastonbury will balance its reputation for eclectic lineups with the responsibility that comes from live—and live-streamed—performances.
