Glastonbury Festival Faces Outrage After Bob Vylan’s Anti-IDF Chant Sparks Police Investigation

Glastonbury 2025, one of the world’s most beloved music festivals, is at the center of a growing political and cultural firestorm after UK punk duo Bob Vylan led chants of “Death to the IDF” during their set at the West Holts stage. The act’s remarks—delivered before a live crowd and broadcast by the BBC—have triggered police scrutiny, condemnation from UK leaders, and accusations of hate speech and incitement to violence.

Festival organizers, including Emily Eavis, swiftly distanced themselves from the incendiary performance, issuing a statement declaring they were “appalled” and reiterating Glastonbury’s longstanding ethos of “hope, unity, peace and love.” The BBC has since removed the performance from its streaming platforms, calling parts of Bob Vylan’s act “deeply offensive.”

Punk, Protest & Provocation

At Glastonbury, Frontman Bobby Vylan declared on stage: “Sometimes we have to get our message across with violence because that’s the only language some people speak.” The set drew heavy applause from parts of the crowd but was widely condemned by others, including UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who told The Telegraph: “There is no excuse for this kind of appalling hate speech.”

The punk duo’s performance, laced with political rhetoric, has drawn sharp criticism not just for its anti-Israel sentiment but for potentially crossing the legal line into incitement. The Avon and Somerset Police have confirmed they are investigating both Bob Vylan’s set and that of Irish rap trio Kneecap, whose own politically charged performance was preemptively pulled from BBC coverage over impartiality concerns.

Music and Messages Collide

Despite Glastonbury’s efforts to remain a neutral creative platform, this year’s festival has seen an upsurge in pro-Palestinian activism. Artists including CMAT, The Libertines, Gary Lineker, and Nadine Shah displayed Palestinian flags, gave onstage shoutouts to Palestine Action, and openly criticized UK and Israeli policy.

 

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Nadine Shah even read a letter from Artists for Palestine UK calling the UK government’s proposed ban on Palestine Action “an attack on democracy.” She warned that under new legislation being debated in Parliament, her act of reading the letter might be considered a criminal offense post–4 July.

The Israeli embassy released a statement on the Glastonbury protests, saying it was “deeply disturbed” by the “hateful rhetoric” seen at the Glastonbury Bob Vylan set. The statement added that chants like “Death to the IDF” and “From the river to the sea” represent “a call for ethnic cleansing” and the dismantling of Israel.

Freedom of expression, the embassy emphasized, “must not become a platform for promoting extremism or violence.”

A New Era for Music Festivals?

This controversy raises pressing questions: Can music festivals remain apolitical in an increasingly polarized world? Is freedom of expression at risk, or are lines being rightly drawn to prevent hate speech?

As the Glastonbury Festival 2025 faces scrutiny and calls mount for greater accountability from artists and broadcasters, one thing is clear: music, politics, and protest are more entangled than ever.