Avon and Somerset Police has confirmed it is assessing “video evidence” after hundreds of festival-goers at Glastonbury chanted “Death to the IDF” during a performance by punk duo Bob Vylan.
The slogan, calling for the death of the Israel Defence Force, was broadcast live as part of the BBC’s festival coverage.
A spokeswoman for the Israeli embassy in London, Orly Goldschmidt, described the performances as “a hate fest.”
The chant occurred during Bob Vylan’s set on Saturday afternoon, half an hour before anti-Israel rap group Kneecap’s appearance on the West Holts stage, who went on to lead a “F*** Keir Starmer” chant.
During the Bob Vylan set, one member of the duo – the pair do not use their full names – launched into an anti-Zionist tirade and expressed solidarity with Kneecap, one of whose members is facing a terror charge after allegedly displaying a Hezbollah flag.
“I worked for a record label and it’s funny because when I worked there, the boss of the record label, we would talk every so often and he would speak very strongly about his support for Israel,” he said.
“And then this list of names came out recently or people trying to stop our mates Kneecap from preforming here tonight. Who do I see on that f***ing list of names but that bald-headed c*** I used to f****ing work for,” Vylan added.
This appeared to reference a leaked list of 30 music insiders who had urged Glastonbury organisers to drop Kneecap from the lineup.
Referring to working in bars and “for f***ing Zionists,” he told the crowd: “If we can do this, I promise you lot you can do anything that you put your mind to.”
Vylan confronted the BBC's decision not to show Kneecap's performance on live TV.
“I know we are on the BBC and we aren't going to say anything crazy, we can leave that for them lads.”
He went on: “We are the violent punks, because sometimes you gotta get your message across with violence because that is the only language some people speak, unfortunately.”
The set ended with a mass chant of "Free, free Palestine".
The BBC and Glastonbury Festival have been approached by the JC for comment.
A spokesperson for Avon and Somerset Police said: “We are aware of the comments made by acts on the West Holts Stage at Glastonbury Festival this afternoon.
“Video evidence will be assessed by officers to determine whether any offences may have been committed that would require a criminal investigation.”
