Glastonbury festival: BBC has 'questions to answer' over Bobby Vylan 'death to the IDF' chants

The BBC has been told it has “questions to answer” as Glastonbury festival organisers said chants of “death” to the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) by punk duo Bob Vylan had “crossed a line”.

The performer Bobby Vylan led crowds on the festival’s West Holts Stage in the chants on Saturday, with footage from their set to be assessed by the police. A member of Irish rap trio Kneecap separately suggested fans “start a riot” at his bandmate’s forthcoming court appearance.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting described the chants as “appalling” as he stressed both the BBC and festival had questions to answer over “how we saw such a spectacle on our screens.”

Bob Vylan performing on the West Holts stage during the Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm in Somerset. Picture: PA | PA

A joint Instagram post from Glastonbury and Emily Eavis said: “As a festival, we stand against all forms of war and terrorism. We will always believe in – and actively campaign 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, and a performer’s presence here should never be seen as a tacit endorsement of their opinions and beliefs.

“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 in the production of the festival that there is no place at Glastonbury for anti-Semitism, hate speech or incitement to violence.”

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As police examine videos of their comments, Mr Streeting told Sky News’ Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips: “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 what people should be talking about in the context of Israel and Gaza was the humanitarian catastrophe and the fact that Israeli settlers attacked a Christian village this week.

He 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, Mt Streeting said the broadcaster had questions to answer, but that he did not know what the editorial and operational “challenges” are of taking such action.

Punk act Bob Vylan and Belfast hip-hop group Kneecap sparked controversy with their Glastonbury performances, with police confirming that they were assessing footage from the sets. | Getty Images

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”.

On social media, the Israeli Embassy said it was “deeply disturbed by the inflammatory and hateful rhetoric expressed on stage at the Glastonbury Festival”.

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.”

The Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) said it would be formally complaining to the BBC over its “outrageous decision” to broadcast Bob Vylan.

A spokesperson said: “Our national broadcaster must apologise for its dissemination of this extremist vitriol, and those responsible must be removed from their positions.”

A BBC spokesperson added: “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.”

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has spoken to the BBC director general about Bob Vylan’s performance, a UK government spokesperson said.

Bob Vylan, who formed in Ipswich in 2017, have released four albums with their music addressing issues to do with racism, masculinity and class.

Kneecap, who hail from Belfast, have been in the headlines after member Liam Og O hAnnaidh, who performs under the name Mo Chara, was charged with a terror offence.

The group performed after Vylan’s set on the West Holts Stage with O hAnnaidh exclaiming “Glastonbury, I’m a free man” as they took to the stage.

In reference to his bandmate’s coming court date, Naoise O Caireallain, who performs under the name Moglai Bap, said they would “start a riot outside the courts”, before clarifying: “No riots just love and support, and support for Palestine”.

In the run-up to the festival at Worthy Farm in Somerset, several politicians called for the group to be removed from the line-up and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said their performance would not be “appropriate”.

During the performance, Caireallain said: “The Prime Minister of your country, not mine, said he didn’t want us to play, so f*** Keir Starmer.” He also said a “big thank you to the Eavis family” and said “they stood strong” amid calls for the organisers to drop them from the line-up.

Elsewhere at the festival, Irish noise rockers Gurriers yesterday took to the Woodsies stage. During their high-octane rock and roll set, singer Dan Hoff said: “Free Palestine, unlike other bands we know where we stand politically.”

He later asked if anyone had seen Kneecap’s Saturday set, before adding: “Well it’s the Irish takeover at Glastonbury this year I think.

“This song is about the Irish far right that we have back at home, and how much we f****** hate them.”