Starmer condemns 'appalling hate speech' at Glastonbury - as organiser says anti-IDF chants 'crossed a line'

Sky News

7 hours ago

The prime minister has criticised chants of "death to the IDF" during a Glastonbury performance on Saturday, while festival organiser Emily Eavis said they had "very much crossed a line".
Responding on Sunday to rap duo Bob Vylan's set the day before, Sir Keir Starmer said: "There is no excuse for this kind of appalling hate speech."
In the same statement, the prime minister repeated his previous argument that the Belfast rap group Kneecap should have been removed from the line-up after one member was charged with a terrorism offence.
"I said that Kneecap should not be given a platform and that goes for any other performers making threats or inciting violence.
"The BBC needs to explain how these scenes came to be broadcast."
On Sunday, Ms Eavis, whose father Michael co-founded the festival, posted her response to Bob Vylan's performance.
"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," she wrote.
She said that while "as a festival, we stand against all forms of war and terrorism - we will always believe in - and actively campaign for - hope, unity, peace and love", adding a performer's comments "should never be seen as a tacit endorsement of their opinions and beliefs".
Eavis added: "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."
The rappers' set was streamed live on the BBC on Saturday, showing one of them shouting the slogan into the mic, with some of the crowd joining in.
They also performed in front of a screen that claimed Israel's actions in Gaza amount to "genocide".
Posting on Instagram on Sunday, drummer Bobby Vylan doubled down by repeating elements of the chant alongside a picture of himself.
The Israeli embassy posted on X in the hours after the set saying it was "deeply disturbed by the inflammatory and hateful rhetoric".
It said the slogan used "advocates for the dismantling of the State of Israel".
The post on X added: "When such messages are delivered before tens of thousands of festivalgoers and met with applause, it raises serious concerns about the normalisation of extremist language and the glorification of violence."
In a separate post on X on Sunday, Israel's foreign ministry published graphic footage following the attack by Hamas on the Nova festival in Israel on 7 October 2023. The message directly appealed to those at Glastonbury who joined in the chants.
"On October 7th, Hamas terrorists murdered hundreds of innocent partygoers at the Nova festival. For those at the Glastonbury festival who need a reality check, let this footage serve as a reminder to what you are supporting."
Meanwhile the Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) said it will be formally complaining to the BBC over its "outrageous decision" to broadcast the performance.
Avon and Somerset Police said they are looking at whether a criminal offence was committed.
"Video evidence will be assessed by officers to determine whether any offences may have been committed that would require a criminal investigation," the force said in a post on social media.
Bob Vylan's set may have pushed things too far
Bob Vylan, a punk-rap duo known for their politically charged lyrics taking on racism, fascism, police brutality, toxic masculinity, inequality and more, performed on the festival's third biggest stage, West Holts, with a capacity of about 30,000.
They played to their own fans but no doubt thousands who had turned out to secure their place for the controversial Irish-language rappers Kneecap who followed.
After the Bob Vylan performance was aired live, clips quickly flooded social media - shared by those supporting the band and condemning them.
"The BBC didn't cover Kneecap's set at Glastonbury Festival over Free Palestine chants, so Bob Vylan, who BBC covered, stepped in," posted the Celebrities4Palestine account alongside a clip on Instagram, also shared by Bob Vylan.
The IDF comments on stage may well have been made regardless. Or did Kneecap's "cancelling" by the BBC, as some people saw it, encourage other acts to speak out even more?
Police are investigating both performances. Kneecap's Naoise O Caireallain, who performs under the name Moglai Bap, at one point mentioned "a riot outside the courts" over his bandmate Liam Og O hAnnaidh's (Mo Chara) upcoming second appearance on a terror charge, before clarifying: "No riots, just love and support, and support for Palestine."
With its history of activism, Glastonbury has always championed free speech. But it seems Bob Vylan's set may have pushed things too far.
It's fair to say that here at Glastonbury, for most of the 200,000 people on site this weekend, it is still all about the music. The majority did not see these sets and many are not even aware of the criticism outside Worthy Farm.
Today is the final day of artist performances, with acts including Olivia Rodrigo, Rod Stewart and the Prodigy on the bill. But instead of the magic of the most famous festival in the world, both organisers and the broadcaster are now facing more questions about Bob Vylan and, to a lesser extent, Kneecap, as criticism mounts.
Bob Vylan went on stage just ahead of a performance by Kneecap, the Irish rap band that the prime minister and others called to be removed from the Glastonbury and other festival line-ups over alleged on-stage endorsements of terrorist groups Hamas and Hezbollah.
Ultimately, the BBC decided not to broadcast Kneecap's set live, but have since made it available to watch on catch-up on iPlayer.
One of its members, Liam Og O hAnnaidh, was charged with a terror offence in May after being accused of displaying a flag in support of Hezbollah at a gig.
His bandmate Naoise O Caireallain told Glastonbury crowds on Saturday they should "start a riot outside the courts", before clarifying: "No riots just love and support, and support for Palestine."
O hAnnaidh - also known as Mo Chara - wore a Palestinian keffiyeh scarf for their set and told fans he was a "free man".
Questions over why BBC broadcast chants
The government's culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has spoken to BBC boss Tim Davie for an "urgent explanation" about what steps were taken around the Bob Vylan set.
Speaking to Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips on behalf of the government, Health Secretary Wes Streeting described the chant as "appalling" and a "shameless publicity stunt".
"The fact that we saw that chant at a music festival - when there were Israelis at a similar music festival who were kidnapped, murdered, raped, and in some cases still held captive," he said in reference to the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack at the Nova music festival.
He added that while "there's no justification for inciting violence against Israelis… the way in which Israel's conducting this war has made it extremely difficult for Israel's allies around the world to stand by and justify".
"I'd also say to the Israeli embassy, get your own house in order, in terms of the conduct of your own citizens and the settlers in the West Bank," he told Phillips.
Meanwhile, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch reposted a clip of the Bob Vylan set describing it as "grotesque".
"Violence against Jews isn't edgy. The West is playing with fire if we allow this sort of behaviour to go unchecked," she said on X.
Lucy McMullin, who was in the crowd for Bob Vylan, told Sky News: "When there's children and civilians being murdered and starved, then I think it's important that people are speaking out on these issues.
"However, inciting more death and violence is not the way to do it."
A BBC spokesperson confirmed the Bob Vylan stream will not be made available to watch on its iPlayer.
"Some of the comments made during Bob Vylan's set were deeply offensive," their statement said.
"During this live stream on iPlayer, which reflected what was happening on stage, a warning was issued on screen about the very strong and discriminatory language. We have no plans to make the performance available on demand."