LONDON (CelebrityAccess) — On Monday, British police launched criminal investigations following the televised performances of two rap artists who led anti-Israel chants at Glastonbury over the weekend.
According to the Associated Press, rapper Bob Vylan led the audience in chants of “Free, free Palestine” and “Death, death to the IDF” (referring to Israel’s military) during his appearance at the festival.
The Irish-language group Kneecap is also under investigation as part of what police have described as a “public order incident,” the AP reported.
“This has been recorded as a public order incident at this time while our enquiries are at an early stage,” police officials told the BBC.
The BBC also came under criticism for livestreaming Bob Vylan’s performance, later conceding that the broadcast should have cut away from the chants.
“When the rights and safety of people and communities are at risk, and when the national broadcaster fails to uphold its own standards, we will intervene,” said Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy, according to the BBC.
Additionally, the U.S. State Department announced it has revoked the U.S. visas for Bob Vylan, who was scheduled to tour the United States later this year.
“Foreigners who glorify violence and hatred are not welcome visitors to our country,” U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau stated on social media Monday.
In a statement posted on Instagram, Glastonbury Festival said: “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,” the statement continued. “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.”
In a statement of his own shared via social media, Bob Vylan responded: “First it was Kneecap, now it’s us two. Regardless of how it was said, calling for an end to the slaughter of innocents is never wrong. To civilians of Israel, understand this anger is not directed at you, and don’t let your government persuade you that a call against an army is a call against the people.”
