At the largest music festival in the United Kingdom on Saturday, thousands chanted “Death to the IDF,” echoing a performer who also told them to “not give up your dreams” even when they’re “working for Zionists.”
A British government spokesperson condemned the rhetoric used on stage by Bobby Vylan, which was aired on the BBC, as did the organizers of the Glastonbury music festival on Sunday.
(The Bob Vylan punk duo consists of singer/guitarist Bobby Vylan and drummer Bobbie Vylan. They use stage names to hide their real names.)
An Israeli Cabinet minister subsequently cited the hate-fest as further evidence for why British Jews should leave Britain.
Police officers are looking into the actions of the performer and others to see if they are in violation of laws against incitement, according to the BBC, which has removed the segment from its streaming platform.
Vylan encouraged the crowd at Glastonbury, in Somerset, southwestern England, which drew about 200,000 revelers this year, to chant “Free Palestine,” adding, “Alright, but have you heard this one though?” before shouting: “Death, death to the IDF.”
Thousands chanted it back, some waving PLO and Lebanese flags.
“Hell, yeah, from the river to the sea, Palestine must be, will be, inshallah, free,” he added, using the Arabic word for “God willing.”
The BBC neither broadcast nor streamed the Glastonbury performance of Kneecap, a rap band whose performer, Liam O’Hanna, is on trial for wearing a Hezbollah flag on stage, which is a proscribed terrorist group in the U.K.
In a statement, the organizers wrote on Sunday: “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.”
However, they added: “We are appalled by statements made from the West Holts stage by Bob Vylan yesterday. Their chants very much crossed a line. … there is no place at Glastonbury for antisemitism, hate speech or incitement to violence.”
Amichai Chikli, Israel’s minister for the Diaspora and combating antisemitism, wrote on X: “The BBC has a long history of severe bias against Israel, but today a dark line was crossed by broadcasting calls for the murder of IDF soldiers. This is a new low.”
Chikli said he was “deeply disturbed by what is happening in Britain. In a place where antisemitism flourishes, society sinks into dark and dangerous depths.”
He added, “I repeat my recommendation to my Jewish brothers and sisters: leave Britain.”
O’Hanna criticized Prime Minister Keir Starmer and singer Rod Stewart, who were among those who had said Kneecap should not perform at Glastonbury this year. “He’s older than Israel!” O’Hanna said of Rod Stewart,” adding, “f**k Keir Starmer.”
Bobby Vylan also made a reference on stage to a “Zionist” former boss, which critics deemed antisemitic.
Before chanting, Vylan shared an anecdote with the audience about having worked for a record label where his boss “would speak very strongly about his support for Israel.” The same man, whom Vylan did not name, had signed a letter condemning Kneecap, Vylan said.
“Who do I see on that f**king list of names but that bald-headed c**t I used to f**king work for,” Vyland told the crowd. “So look, we’ve done it all, all right? From working in bars to working for fucking Zionists. And if we can do this, I promise you, you can do absolutely anything that you put your mind to.”
Several critics said the reference to Zionists was code for Jews. “Quite simply racist. Imagine if it was any other minority. Turning Glastonbury into a cesspit. 95% of Jews are Zionists. We know what you mean when you come out with your inciting filth, Bob Vylan,” the group Stop the Hate – Leeds wrote on its X account.
Bob Vylan has several albums with controversial titles, including “England’s Ending” and “Lynch Your Leaders,” and a song whose refrain goes: “Heard you want your country back? hah, shut the f**k up.”
