UK Police Probe Bob Vylan and Kneecap After Glastonbury ‘Death to IDF’ Chant

Avon and Somerset Police have opened a criminal investigation into the Glastonbury Festival appearances of British punk-rap duo Bob Vylan and Belfast group Kneecap, saying on 30 June that the matter has been recorded as a public-order incident while officers review potential hate-crime legislation. A senior detective has been appointed to lead the evidence-led inquiry, which follows a surge of complaints from the U.K. and abroad.

The probe focuses on Bob Vylan’s 28 June set on the West Holts stage, where front-man Bobby Vylan repeatedly urged the crowd to chant “Death, death to the IDF” and “Free Palestine.” The performance was livestreamed by the BBC. Organisers of Glastonbury, which drew about 150,000 attendees this year, said the slogans “very much crossed a line,” adding that the festival has “no place for antisemitism, hate speech or incitement to violence.”

The BBC, which initially carried the set in full on iPlayer, later apologised and said the feed should have been cut. U.K. broadcast regulator Ofcom described the incident as “very concerning,” while Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy wrote to BBC Director-General Tim Davie seeking an explanation of the corporation’s editorial controls.

Police are also examining Kneecap’s politically charged appearance the same evening, during which the trio led chants of “Free Palestine” and criticised Prime Minister Keir Starmer. That set was not shown live by the BBC but was later uploaded online. One member of Kneecap is already on bail over an unrelated terrorism charge.

No arrests have been made, but fallout has spread beyond the U.K. Billboard reported that Bob Vylan’s U.S. visas have been revoked and that the act was dropped by its talent agency. The case has intensified debate over the boundary between political protest and hate speech amid continuing international scrutiny of Israel’s war in Gaza.