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Europe|Starmer and Glastonbury Condemn Band’s Chant Against Israel’s Military
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/29/world/europe/bob-vylan-idf-palestine-glastonbury.html
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The band Bob Vylan led a crowd in a chant of “Death, death to the I.D.F.” while performing at Glastonbury, Britain’s biggest music festival.
Published June 29, 2025Updated June 30, 2025, 5:24 a.m. ET
Prime Minister Keir Starmer of Britain and 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 Israel 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.
“There is no excuse for this kind of appalling hate speech,” Mr. Starmer said in a statement. “I said that Kneecap should not be given a platform and that goes for any other performers making threats or inciting violence.”
He added: “The BBC needs to explain how these scenes came to be broadcast.”
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.
