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Their frontman, Bobby Vylan, encouraged the crowd to chant “Free, free Palestine” and “Death, death to the IDF [Israel Defense Forces]” during their Saturday set.
Sir Keir said the act should never have been invited and dismissed it, stating “There is no excuse for this kind of vile hate speech”. “These types of comments are reprehensible, particularly when associated with the incitement of violence and making threats,” he said.
His condemnation came after other government ministers made similar statements. Health Secretary Wes Streeting said the comments were “revolting” highlighting the bitter irony of the messages being issued from a music festival – an event in Israel where civilians were kidnapped and murdered amid recent conflict.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy had already called for BBC Director General Tim Davie to explain why the broadcaster appeared not to have scrutinized the actress over comments that she is said to have made. A BBC spokesman said: “The episode will not be re-broadcast on BBC iPlayer and we have put in place measures to re-edit the program due to most viewers’ likely offense to some comments made.
Kneecap Set Also Under Fire
Irish-language rap outfit Kneecap similarly came under fire for their performance at Glastonbury. The band, which describes itself as having politically oriented lyrics and supports Palestinian causes, has in the past described Israeli military attacks in the Gaza Strip as genocide.
Sir Keir had stated in advance of the festival that it was “not right” for them to perform at the event and reiterated after the show that no group should be given a platform for hate or violence.
The group’s rapper Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, aka Mo Chara, is on bail after being charged with a terrorism offense for what appears to have been the display of the flag of Hezbollah, a proscribed organization, at an event before this one. He has pleaded not guilty and is scheduled to appear in court on 20 August.
In their Glastonbury set, Kneecap shrieked a series of expletive-laden chants at Starmer. While the BBC did not broadcast the set live (citing 'editorial reasons') an edited version was later uploaded to iPlayer, with the BBC saying it is an artistic expression and is preceded by warnings.
Police and Public Reactions
Police say they are studying footage of both acts’ performances to see if any offenses had been committed. The force said this would involve considering any incitement to violence or hate speech.
Meanwhile, the Campaign Against Antisemitism said it would make a formal complaint to the BBC for allowing the performances to be broadcast, particularly that by Kneecap. They had accused the broadcaster of spreading extremist content and eroding public trust.
In April, the Met Police investigated another video in which Kneecap was said to have called for the murder of British MPs but abandoned the case because there were legal constraints on the prosecution of summary-only offenses within certain time limits.
Festival organizers have also reacted to the controversy. Glastonbury and Emily Eavis, the festival’s organizer and founder, released a joint statement saying they “stand against all forms of war and terrorism” and acknowledging that Bob Vylan’s chants “very much crossed a line.”
They also said that with nearly 4,000 performing artists, the views expressed do not necessarily belong to those of the organizers. But they said hate speech and calls inciting violence are not welcome at the festival.
With increasing pressure from politicians, campaigners, and the public, the broadcaster has not yet made any further statement about how it will deal with comparable controversies in the future.
