A Glastonbury act has been probed by the police, and now the front man has spoken out.
There’s not much that a musical group can’t get away with these days, from saying the word ‘c***’ on BBC’s daytime live TV, to crowd surfing, throwing up behind a set like Lola Young, or just having a bit of a rowdy laugh.
But when it comes to Glasto, there’s something police and Avon won’t tolerate.
While festivalgoers were enjoying the sun, music and vibes of the annual event, hip hop punk band Bob Vylan took to the stage to cause some musical chaos.
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Everything started out fine, and fans were rightfully getting into the mood.
However, frontman Bobby Vylan was later probed by police for his performance.
According to reports, officers are reviewing footage from the performance as well as Irish trio Kneecap’s set to figure out whether both bands committed offences.
According to police, the two bands made comments which have been deemed to be enough to warrant police investigation.
Vylan took to the West Holts Stage and incited crowd chants of ‘free, free Palestine’.
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According to the Independent, he also shouted: “Death to the IDF.”
The IDF are the Israeli Defence Force, the national military of Israel which holds mandatory service for its citizens.
He then declared: “From the river to the sea Palestine… will be free.”
The Isreal Embassy in the UK tweeted in response to the comments: "Chants such as ‘Death to the IDF’ and ‘From the river to the sea’ are slogans that advocate for the dismantling of the State of Israel and implicitly call for the elimination of Jewish self-determination.
"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."
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While a Glastonbury spokesperson said: "We are appalled by the statements made from the West Holts stage by Bob Vylan yesterday.
"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."
Kneecap also joked that fans ‘start a riot,’ in reference to rapper Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh’s court case, and also said: “F*** Keir Starmer.”
The rapper is facing charges after allegedly displaying the flag of the organisation Hezbollah at a gig last year.
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Kneecap member Naoise Ó Cairealláin said at the festival: “It’s not the first time there has been a miscarriage of justice for an Irish person in the British justice system.
“So, if anyone is available on 20th August at Westminster we will go to support Mo Chara, we will start a riot outside the courts.”
He later clarified: "No riots, just love and support, and support for Palestine."
Avon and Somerset police clarified their stance on social media, posting: “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.”
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As for Vylan, he responded by posting a selfie holding a tub of ‘vegan’ ice cream as he mocked on his Instagram Story: “While zionists are crying on socials, I’ve just had a tub of (vegan) ice cream.”
Lisa Nandy, the Culture Secretary, has also hit back at the BBC’s decision to broadcast the set live, with her spokesperson stating: “We strongly condemn the threatening comments made by Bob Vylan at Glastonbury.”
A BBC spokesperson told LADbibe: “Some of the comments made during Bob Vylan’s set were deeply offensive.
“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.”
LADbible reached out to Avon and Somerset police and representatives for Kneecap and Bob Vylan for comment.
Topics: Glastonbury, Music, Palestine, Israel, Social Media, BBC
Britt Jones