Newsletter
Newsletter Support JNS

London Police drop probe into Bobby Vylan over ‘Death to the IDF’ chant

“There would likely be insufficient evidence to take the case forward,” Metropolitan Police said.

Bob Vylan performs on stage with a Palestinian flag at the Doornroosje concert hall in Nijmegen, The Netherlands, Sept. 15, 2025. Photo by Marcel Krijgsman/ANP/AFP via Getty Images.
Bob Vylan performs on stage with a Palestinian flag at the Doornroosje concert hall in Nijmegen, The Netherlands, Sept. 15, 2025. Photo by Marcel Krijgsman/ANP/AFP via Getty Images.

London police have closed the criminal investigation into the band Bob Vylan, whose frontman led chants of “death to the IDF” at the Glastonbury music festival in June, Sky News reported on Wednesday.

The Metropolitan Police closed the investigation into Bobby Vylan, whose real name is Pascal Robinson-Foster, following advice from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), a spokesperson told the U.K. news channel.

(The Bob Vylan duo consists of singer/guitarist Bobby Vylan and drummer Bobbie Vylan.)

Prosecutors “considered a number of potential offenses but determined that, based on the information and material available, there would likely be insufficient evidence to take the case forward,” a police statement read.

“As a result, officers have decided that no further action will be taken,” it added. “We recognize the concerns that the footage caused, particularly among many in London’s Jewish communities.”

A man in his 30s, believed to be Robinson-Foster, 34, voluntarily attended an interview on Monday as part of the investigation, according to the statement.

Police continue “to work closely with community representatives to understand those concerns, to ensure the safety and security of Jewish Londoners and to provide reassurance moving forward,” it concluded.

In June, the Trump administration revoked the band members’ visas, forcing the cancellation of a U.S. tour scheduled for November.

Bob Vylan’s agent also removed the band’s page from the agency’s website, while the BBC deleted the group’s Glastonbury performance from its online streaming platform.

On Tuesday evening, five people were detained after rival protesters clashed outside a Bob Vylan concert at the O2 Forum in north London.

The Met Police confirmed that it arrested two participants from the pro-Palestinian rally, including one who had led chants “referencing the IDF,” and three people from the opposing “Stop the Hate” protest.

Most of those detained were reportedly arrested for allegedly breaching conditions set for the protest under the U.K.’s Public Order Act.

The “Stop the Hate” Jewish advocacy group, which campaigns against antisemitism, said there had been widespread community opposition to the gig in Kentish Town. According to Britain’s Jewish News, 1,000 people had written to their local council leader to express their concerns.

IDF
See more from JNS Staff
“Let me be clear,” Rep. Grace Meng said at a rally in New York City. “Justifying hate, vandalism or violence by pointing to the actions of a foreign government is scapegoating, and it is wrong.”
A deadline in the law has yet to pass, but Rabbi Josh Joseph, of the Orthodox Union, told JNS that “we expect the mayor and the NYPD to work in close coordination with the community to ensure that the intent of this legislation is fully upheld.”
Online critics accused the bestselling author, who is a supporter of the BDS movement, of “normalizing” Israelis over a brief reference in her book, Taipei Story.
The president’s call for a national Shabbat “celebrates our religion and it refocuses on our job to become a light unto the nations,” Rabbi Steven Burg of Aish told JNS.
Moments after Varsha Gandikota-Nellutla, of the Hague Group, made the admission, Andrew Gilmour, a former senior U.N. official, warned her that “there are 108 people on this call, so just assume it’s not confidential.”
Charlotte Head, 30, Samuel Corner, 23, Leona Kamio, 30, and Fatema Rajwani, 21, destroyed property and clashed with security guards at the Israeli defense firm’s facility near Bristol, England.