British Prime Minister Starmer and Glastonbury criticize chant calling for death to Israeli military

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and organizers of the Glastonbury festival expressed horror at the on-stage chant against the Israeli military during the performance of Bob Vylan, a Punk-rap duo. The duo chanted “Death, death, to the IDF,” referring to the Israel Defense Forces. The police are considering launching an investigation based on video evidence from the show, without naming the bands involved.

Starmer stated, “There is no excuse for this kind of appalling hate speech, and performers inciting violence should not have a platform.” Glastonbury festival organizers criticized Bob Vylan’s chanting, emphasizing a zero-tolerance policy for antisemitism, hate speech, or incitement to violence. The Israeli Embassy in Britain also condemned the inflammatory and hateful rhetoric from the performance.

During Bob Vylan’s set, the BBC broadcast live during the festival. Despite the on-screen warning about the strong and discriminatory language, the BBC had no intentions of making the performance available on demand. Following Bob Vylan’s performance, the Irish rap trio Kneecap took the stage, leading chants regarding Starmer, criticizing Israel, and accusing them of war crimes.

Kneecap’s frontman, Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, known on stage as Mo Chara, who had been charged with supporting a militant group at a prior concert, further publicized anti-Israel sentiment during the festival. Health Secretary Wes Streeting condemned the chants but also drew attention to the violence by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank. The ideological discussions and punk-rock protests are not uncommon in the festival setting, sparking debate and controversy among audiences.