Glastonbury ‘Appalled' by Band's Chant Against Israel's Military
The organizers of Glastonbury music festival said on Sunday that they were 'appalled' by statements made onstage during a performance by the British punk duo Bob Vylan, in which the lead singer led the crowd in chants of 'Death, death to the I.D.F.,' referring to the Israeli Defense Forces.
Glastonbury, Britain's biggest music festival, had already been facing criticism for its decision to allow Kneecap, an Irish-language rap group, to perform on Saturday, despite pressure from broadcasters and politicians to cut the act after the band voiced anti-Israel statements and one member faced a terrorism charge.
Kneecap's performance was such a draw at the festival that the arena was already full for Bob Vylan's set an hour beforehand.
The chants by Bob Vylan's singer, which were broadcast live on the BBC, drew immediate condemnation from politicians in the United Kingdom.
Israel's embassy in the United Kingdom, as well as some Jewish groups, accused Glastonbury of promoting hate. Avon and Somerset police said on Saturday that they were reviewing video footage from the stage to determine if any criminal offenses had been committed.
'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, and a performer's presence here should never be seen as a tacit endorsement of their opinions and beliefs,' said a statement on the Instagram accounts of the Glastonbury Festival and Emily Eavis, one of the festival's organizers, on Sunday. 'However, we are appalled by the statements made from the West Holts stage by Bob Vylan yesterday.'
Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
A Year After ‘Loveless Landslide,' U.K. Leader Is Even Less Popular
A year ago this week, Prime Minister Keir Starmer of Britain swept into 10 Downing Street with a landslide majority of 172 seats. As his first anniversary approached, more than 120 of those Labour Party members of Parliament threatened to vote down their leader's signature welfare legislation. It has been that kind of year for Mr. Starmer. Though he made hasty concessions last week to keep the bill on track, the mutiny makes clear what a reversal of fortune the prime minister has suffered. Stung by political missteps, sapped by a weak economy, and distracted by foreign crises that have put a heavy strain on public finances, Mr. Starmer's government has yet to get off the ground. Labour now consistently trails Reform U.K., an insurgent, anti-immigrant party, in the polls. While he is under no immediate threat to his leadership, and the next election is not expected until 2029, Mr. Starmer's personal approval rating has collapsed, even among Labour voters. There is no shortage of people with ideas about how Mr. Starmer can turn things around, from sharper messaging to savvier management of his M.P.'s. But some are coalescing around a deceptively simple argument: his cautious, workmanlike centrist government needs to pivot to the left. 'They have to do something,' said Stanley B. Greenberg, a prominent American pollster and Democratic strategist who advised Bill Clinton, as well as Tony Blair and a host of other politicians in Britain and the United States. 'I see them only stagnating or losing ground with their current vision.' Mr. Greenberg, who is not advising this government, commissioned a poll of 2,048 adults in Britain earlier this month by YouGov Blue, a market-research firm that works with Democratic candidates in the United States. He said the results showed that Labour's best chance to repair its position was to attract voters from the left-of-center Liberal Democrat and Green parties. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Associated Press
an hour ago
- Associated Press
BBC says it should have pulled livestream of rap group Bob Vylan over 'antisemitism'
LONDON (AP) — The BBC says it should have pulled a livestream of rap group Bob Vylan's performance at Glastonbury Festival over 'antisemitic' chants against Israeli troops. The British broadcaster has come under heavy criticism for broadcasting the rap punk duo's performance Saturday, when rapper Bobby Vylan led crowds attending the U.K.'s largest summer music festival in chants of 'free, free Palestine' and 'death, death to the IDF,' the Israel Defense Forces. The BBC said Monday that it 'respects freedom of expression but stands firmly against incitement to violence.' 'The antisemitic sentiments expressed by Bob Vylan were utterly unacceptable and have no place on our airwaves,' it said.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Ofcom Says It Is Treating Bob Vylan Glastonbury Controversy 'As A Matter Of Urgency'
TV watchdog Ofcom has responded to the controversy surrounding punk rap duo Bob Vylan's set at Glastonbury over the weekend, which was streamed live on BBC iPlayer. On Saturday afternoon, the band made headlines when frontman Bobby Vylan led the crowd in a chant of 'free Palestine', before he began another chant of 'death to the IDF', referring to Israel's army. Since then, UK prime minister Sir Keir Starmer, the BBC and Glastonbury organisers have all spoken out to condemn the performer's actions. Meanwhile, after Starmer raised his personal concerns about how Bob Vylan and the crowd's chant came to be broadcast on the BBC, Ofcom has now made it clear that they also have questions. A statement from the media regulator published in Metro said: 'We are very concerned about the live stream of this performance, and the BBC clearly has questions to answer. 'We have been speaking to the BBC over the weekend and we are obtaining further information as a matter of urgency, including what procedures were in place to ensure compliance with its own editorial guidelines.' Typically, Ofcom does not deal with BBC matters, as the national broadcaster has its own complaints department, though it will intervene in what it deems to be 'exceptional circumstances'. The BBC has since said in a statement: 'Millions of people tuned in to enjoy Glastonbury this weekend across the BBC's output but one performance within our livestreams included comments that were deeply offensive. The BBC respects freedom of expression but stands firmly against incitement to violence. The antisemitic sentiments expressed by Bob Vylan were utterly unacceptable and have no place on our airwaves. We welcome Glastonbury's condemnation of the performance. 'The performance was part of a live stream of the West Holts stage on BBC iPlayer. The judgment on Saturday to issue a warning on screen while streaming online was in line with our editorial guidelines. In addition, we took the decision not to make the performance available on demand. The team were dealing with a live situation but with hindsight we should have pulled the stream during the performance. We regret this did not happen. 'In light of this weekend, we will look at our guidance around live events so we can be sure teams are clear on when it is acceptable to keep output on air.' Bob Vylan's frontman spoke out for the first time on Sunday evening, in an Instagram post captioned: 'I said what I said.' View this post on Instagram A post shared by Bob Vylan (@bobbyvylan) 'As I lay in bed this morning, my phone buzzing non-stop, inundated with messages of both support and hatred, I listen to my daughter typing out loud as she fills out a school survey asking for her feedback on the current state of her school dinners,' he wrote. 'She expressed that she would like healthier meals, more options and dishes inspired by other parts of the world. 'Listening to her voice her opinions on a matter that she cares about and affects her daily, reminds me that we may not be doomed after all. Teaching our children to speak up for the change they want and need is the only way that we make this world a better place. 'As we grow older and our fire possibly starts to dim under the suffocation of adult life and all its responsibilities, it is incredibly important that we encourage and inspire future generations to pick up the torch that was passed to us. Let us display to them loudly and visibly the right thing to do when we want and need change. 'Let them see us marching in the streets, campaigning on ground level, organising online and shouting about it on any and every stage that we are offered. Today it is a change in school dinners, tomorrow it is a change in foreign policy.' 17 Must-See Moments From This Year's Glastonbury That You Might Have Missed Here's What Actually Went Down When Kneecap Performed At Glastonbury Keir Starmer Demands BBC Explain How Bob Vylan 'Hate Speech' Was Broadcast
