UK police examining 'death to the IDF' chant at Glastonbury Festival
British police are considering whether to launch an investigation after a member of punk duo Bob Vylan chanted "death, death to the IDF" at Glastonbury Festival on Saturday.
Avon and Somerset Police said on X late on Saturday that it was aware of the remarks made on the festival's West Holts stage.
"Video evidence will be assessed by officers to determine whether any offences may have been committed that would require a criminal investigation," the police statement said.
The punk artist said "death, death to the IDF" multiple times while on stage, in reference to the Israeli army, prompting many in the crowd to echo the words back. Several people in the crowd were waving large Palestine flags.
Glastonbury Festival said it was "appalled" by Bob Vylan’s remarks.
"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," it said in a statement.
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Police said they were also examining comments made by Irish rap trio Kneecap, who are highly critical of Israel’s war on Gaza, during their performance later on Saturday evening.
During the set, one member of Kneecap wore a T-shirt in support of Palestine Action.
Palestine Action is a direct action group the UK government is set to ban as a terrorist organisation after activists broke into RAF Brize Norton, the largest airbase in Britain, last week and spray-painted two planes while on electric scooters.
The activists then evaded security and escaped the base, which they said they targeted because flights leave there daily "for RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, a base used for military operations in Gaza and across the Middle East".
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said earlier this month that it was "not appropriate" for Kneecap to appear at Glastonbury.
The band's frontman, Liam Og O hAnnaidh, was charged with a terrorism offence last month for allegedly displaying a flag in support of Lebanon's Hezbollah and saying “up Hamas, up Hezbollah” at a concert in November. He has denied the charge.
Hezbollah and Hamas are proscribed organisations in the UK.
During Saturday's performance, O hAnnaidh accused Israel of committing war crimes, stating: "There's no hiding it."
UK Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy contacted the BBC's director general to seek an explanation as to how the Bob Vylan show was allowed to be broadcast, according to a government spokesperson.
Meanwhile, Wes Streeting, the health secretary, said it was appalling that the chant was made on stage.
"I think the BBC and Glastonbury have got questions to answer about how we saw such a spectacle on our screens," he told Sky News.
The Israeli embassy said it was "deeply disturbed by the inflammatory and hateful rhetoric expressed on stage at the Glastonbury Festival".
Streeting took aim at the embassy, telling it to "get your own house in order".
"I think there's a serious point there by the Israeli embassy. I wish they'd take the violence of their own citizens towards Palestinians more seriously," he said, citing Israeli settler violence in the occupied West Bank.
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