Following the “death to the IDF” chants led by Bob Vylan on stage at Glastonbury, the event organizers have condemned the actions of the punk rap band.
During the controversial duo’s set on the West Holts Stage on Saturday (6.28,) frontman Bobby Vylan (born Pascal Robinson-Foster,) led chants calling for the death of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Vylan also ranted about “f**king Zionists” during the set.
On Sunday (6.29), Glastonbury and event chief Emily Eavis took to Instagram, stating that they are “appalled” by the band’s actions.
“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 antisemitism, hate speech or incitement to violence.” “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,” read the statement, adding that a performer’s comments “should never be seen as a tacit endorsement of their opinions and beliefs… 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.”
Not the first such episode, conflict in the Middle East and Israel’s actions in Gaza have been addressed several times at this year’s UK festival – with Irish rappers Kneecap creating controversy by airing their staunchly anti-Israel views in a set not shown live by the BBC.
Unlike Kneecap, Bob Vylan’s set was aired live by the BBC, subsequent to which a spokesperson for the iconic broadcast network said that some of the comments made by the group were “deeply offensive”. As a result, the performance will not be available on BBC iPlayer.
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Author: Saul Goode
Photo: IthakaDarinPappas