The British festival Glastonbury has condemned statements made by the punk duo Bob Vylan during their performance on Saturday, where slogans like “Death, death to the IDF” regarding the Israeli military were voiced.
“We are shocked by the statements Bob Vylan made yesterday from the West Holts Stage,” said festival organiser Emily Eavis in a statement. “Their slogans clearly crossed the line, and we remind everyone involved in the festival’s production that there is no place for anti-Semitism, hate speech, or incitement to violence at Glastonbury.”
British Health Minister Wes Streeting said that the country's public broadcaster, BBC, that streamed the performance live on TV “has questions to answer.”
The Avon and Somerset police, the area where Glastonbury takes place, have launched an investigation into the slogans. An investigation is also underway concerning the performance by the rap group Kneecap. At the Northern Irish rap trio Kneecap’s show, slogans against the British Prime Minister Keir Starmer were reportedly heard.
One Kneecap member has been charged with possibly supporting Hezbollah after waving a flag of the Iran-backed militia during a concert late last year. The group and their fans often show support for the Palestinian cause during concerts, but Kneecap claims these images have been taken out of context.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer had previously deemed Kneecap’s show inappropriate, to which the band responded by stating it was inappropriate to “weaponise a fucking genocide.”
There was no livestream for the Kneecap performance.
