Glastonbury 2025: Police assessing videos of Kneecap and Bob Vylan performances after controversial 'death to IDF' chant

Punk duo Bob Vylan performed on the West Holts Stage at the world-famous festival ahead of the Irish hip-hop trio Kneecap, with the BBC broadcasting their performance live on the West Holts Stage livestream on the BBC iPlayer. Outrage was sparked however, when lead singer Bobby Vylan lead chants with the crowd of “Death, death to the IDF” and “From the river to the sea”.

Later, when Kneecap took to the stage, member Naoise Ó Cairealláin suggested that fans “start a riot” outside the court appearance of member Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, who performs under the name Mo Chara, before clarifying: “No riots just love and support, and support for Palestine.” Ó hAnnaidh, 27, faces a terror charge after allegedly waving a flag in support of proscribed terrorist group Hezbollah at one of the band’s London gigs in 2024 and is due to appear in court again on August 20.

In regards to the Glastonbury performances, 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 comments made on stage by Bobby Vylan in particular sparked outrage. The Israeli Embassy took to social media to say: “Freedom of expression is a cornerstone of democracy. But when speech crosses into incitement, hatred, and advocacy of ethnic cleansing, it must be called out—especially when amplified by public figures on prominent platforms.

“Chants such as ‘Death to the IDF,’ and ‘From the river to the sea’ are slogans 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 normalisation of extremist language and the glorification of violence.

“We call on Glastonbury Festival organisers, artists, and public leaders in the UK to denounce this rhetoric and reject of all forms of hatred.”

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has spoken to the BBC director general about Bob Vylan’s performance and what “due diligence” the BBC had carried out before broadcasting the set. A government spokesperson said: “We strongly condemn the threatening comments made by Bob Vylan at Glastonbury.

“The Culture Secretary has spoken to the BBC director general to seek an urgent explanation about what due diligence it carried out ahead of the Bob Vylan performance, and welcomes the decision not to re-broadcast it on BBC iPlayer.”

The BBC confirmed that the punk act’s performance has been pulled from it’s Glastonbury on-demand content. A spokesperson for the BBC 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.”

Health Secretary Wes Streeting called Bobby Vylan’s chants “appalling” when asked about them on Sky News’ Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips. He said: “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.”

Kneecap were already one of the most contentious acts of the weekend before they had even stepped on stage after Glastonbury faced calls to cancel the band’s appearance in light of the terror charge and controversial statements made by members that included calls to “kill your local MP”.

During their Glastonbury performance, the band called out prime minister Sir Keir Starmer after he said it was not be “acceptable” to have Kneecap play Worthy Farm festival. Cairealláin 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”, adding they that had “stood strong” amidst the controversy.