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Glastonbury 2025: Band Chants "Death to the IDF" and crowd erupts | WATCH
A Glastonbury performance broadcast live on the BBC erupted in outrage as punk band Bob Vylan led chants of “Death to the IDF” and “Free Palestine,” sparking accusations of hate speech, incitement, and double standards from Britain's public broadcaster.
The Glastonbury Festival, Britain’s premier music event, became a flashpoint for controversy on June 28 when British punk band Bob Vylan turned their performance into a fiery anti-Israel protest, broadcast live on the BBC. Lead singer Bobby Vylan led the crowd in chanting “Free, Free Palestine” and “Death to the IDF,” as Palestinian flags waved in the audience. A massive banner behind the band read: “Bob Vylan. Free Palestine. The UN calls it genocide, the BBC calls it ‘conflict.’”
The provocative display followed the BBC’s decision to block a live broadcast of Irish band Kneecap, whose member Mo Chara had previously waved a Hezbollah flag and incited violence, including calls of “up Hamas, up Hezbollah.” Bob Vylan seized the moment, dedicating their set to pro-Palestinian bands like Kneecap, The Murder Capital, and Amyl and The Sniffers. “We’re not pacifist punks,” Vylan declared. “Sometimes you have to deliver your message with violence because that’s the only language some people understand.” He also referenced a “secret list” of music industry figures who tried to block Kneecap’s performance and criticized a former “pro-Israel” boss.
The performance ignited a firestorm. On X, Jewish and pro-Israel groups condemned the “festival of hate,” with some demanding the public stop funding the BBC. One user fumed, “This festival is broadcast on the BBC we pay for!” Critics pointed to the irony of the BBC censoring Kneecap but airing Bob Vylan’s inflammatory rhetoric, calling it a moral and journalistic failure.
Critics reportedly slammed the BBC for airing the set without any bleeping or delay. Meanwhile, UK police are reviewing the footage for possible criminal incitement.