Police to Investigate Glastonbury Chants by Kneecap and Bob Vylan as BBC Plans to Edit Performances out of Replays

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The police are currently reviewing footage of statements made by Bob Vylan and Kneecap during the Glastonbury festival to decide whether any legal actions are necessary.

The punk band Bob Vylan incited chants of “free, free Palestine” and “death, death to the IDF,” referencing the Israeli military, prior to Kneecap’s set.

Lisa Nandy, the UK culture secretary, has contacted the BBC director-general to urgently inquire about the broadcaster’s vetting process prior to Bob Vylan’s appearance.

The BBC has found some remarks made during Bob Vylan’s show to be extremely upsetting, leading them to exclude the performance from their on-demand platform.

During the live broadcast, the BBC also displayed a warning about the explicit and discriminatory language used.

Police are reviewing videos of comments made by punk duo Bob Vylan during their Glastonbury performance. Source: PA / Yui Mok

Meanwhile, Kneecap, who are vocal critics of Israel’s military action in Gaza, during their performance criticised Israel — accusing it of genocide, an allegation denied by Israel’s government.

The Israeli embassy in the UK on a social media post on X said it is “deeply disturbed” by the chants.

“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,” it said.

The band Kneecap attracted headlines when their rapper, Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, known as Mo Chara, faced terrorism charges for allegedly displaying a Hezbollah flag, a recognized terrorist symbol, at a past concert.

The Iran-backed Lebanese force is banned in the UK, and it is an offence to express support for them.

Chara has denied the charge and said the video featuring the flag has been taken out of context.

In a Guardian interview, Chara was asked if he regretted his actions and other remarks captured on video, to which he responded: “Why should I regret it? It was a joke — we’re playing characters.”

Fans say there are different views about the band’s approach.

“It’s actually vital that artists are free to speak their mind and speak their feelings without feeling like they are restricted and censored, otherwise the art isn’t pure,” according to a fan.

“I think they have obviously gone a bit close to the mark sometimes but if you are an Irish person living in Ireland you’ve lived a hundred years of oppression in Northern Ireland, so why can’t you say what you feel is right?” another fan said.

Kneecap lead anti-Keir Starmer chant at Glastonbury

The band also took aim at UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer during the performance at Saturday’s festival, after Starmer had said their appearance was “not appropriate”.

In front of thousands of fans, many waving Palestinian flags, Kneecap led the capacity crowd in chanting abuse about Starmer.

“The prime minister of your country, not mine, said he didn’t want us to play, so f*** Keir Starmer,” Chara told the crowd.

“Glastonbury, I’m a free man.

“This situation can be quite stressful but it’s minimal compared to what the Palestinian people are (facing),” said Chara, wearing his trademark keffiyeh.