The police have initiated an investigation regarding remarks made by a punk band during their performance at Glastonbury today, following a ‘strong condemnation’ from the Labour government over the scenes broadcast live by the BBC.

Singer and guitarist Bobby Vylan, along with drummer Bobbie Vylan of the punk duo Bob Vylan, led the audience in chants of ‘Free Palestine’ and ‘Death to the IDF’ on Saturday afternoon, sparking outrage among Israel’s supporters on social media.

This English band was featured live by the BBC just before the performance of the Irish language rap group Kneecap, whom the network decided not to broadcast live due to past controversial incidents, including one member’s involvement in a terror-related charge.

In response, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has demanded an ‘urgent explanation’ from Tim Davie, the BBC’s Director General. The BBC has been approached by MailOnline for comment.

A government spokesperson said: ‘We strongly condemn the threatening comments made by Bob Vylan at Glastonbury.

‘The Culture Secretary has spoken to the BBC Director General to seek an urgent explanation about what due diligence it carried out ahead of the Bob Vylan performance, and welcomes the decision not to re-broadcast it on BBC iPlayer.’

In a post on X, Avon and Somerset Police confirmed that officers will assess video evidence of the performance ‘to determine whether any offences may have been committed that would require a criminal investigation.’

Bob Vylan’s performance has left many in the Jewish community distraught, with Mel, a mother of-two from north London, exclusively revealing to MailOnline that she has been left ‘absolutely horrified’.

Mel, 49, was first shown Bob Vylan’s performance by her 16-year-old son, who had come across clips of the chanting at Glastonbury on TikTok.

‘How do you explain to your teenager that there’s an event with thousands of people, his age or around his age, his generation, who are jumping up and down screaming for the genocide of Jewish people?’ she told MailOnline. 

‘How do you explain to him that that’s happening in this country right now in 2025 and that this isn’t some sort of Hitler documentary?’

The mother-of-two was one step ahead of the Labour government in calling for the BBC to issue an ‘urgent explanation’.

‘I say to the BBC, find your sense of responsibility,’ Mel said. ‘You’re supposed to be a national broadcaster. There needs to be a coming to their senses. There needs to be a very public apology for what happened.

‘I think the people who run Glastonbury. Michael and Emily Eavis need to make a very public statement of apology that they allow this to happen on their watch.’ In a comment to MailOnline, Glastonbury Festival said: ‘Glastonbury Festival does not condone hate speech or incitement to violence of any kind from its performers.’

Mel also had a message for the bands Bob Vylan and Kneecap: ‘Shame on you! How dare you?

‘They should be banned by the way. Not only should there be an apology from the BBC and Glastonbury, those bands should not be given oxygen,’ she added.

Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, Mel, who revealed she has a long list of friends and family in Israel, some of whom are ‘fighting on the frontline’, said she no longer feels safe living in the UK.

‘I don’t know what has happened to this country, and I feel so sad and worried for my kids. I’ve lived here for almost 50 years and you know I’m a very proud Brit. My family have been here for like four generations,’ she said.

‘But now, this doesn’t look like a country where we have a future. I don’t think this is a country where I want to live – but I don’t want to give them the satisfaction of leaving.’

It comes as Kneecap has faced calls in recent months to be stripped from the festival line-up, with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer calling their performance ‘not appropriate’.

Mo Chara, along with bandmates Naoise Ó Caireallain (Móglaí Bap), and JJ Ó Dochartaigh (DJ Próvaí), have repeatedly argued controversy surrounding their performances is a distraction from the horrors endured by Palestinians amid Israel’s war in Gaza.

They said they are happy to lose income and clout in order to be ‘on the right side of history’, and said they hoped that ‘being vocal and being unafraid’ would encourage other bands to speak up on Palestine.

Kneecap member Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, 27, appeared in court last week after being charged for allegedly displaying a flag in support of proscribed terrorist organisation Hezbollah while saying ‘up Hamas, up Hezbollah’ at a gig in November last year.

The BBC previously confirmed it would not livestream Kneecap’s performance but would likely upload an edited version on iPlayer later – but if it hoped to avoid controversy over the war in Gaza bosses will be disappointed.

In the act just before Kneecap, singer/guitarist Bobby Vylan and drummer Bobbie Vylan, who founded their band in 2017 in Ipswich, flashed up a large message in support of Palestinians while their set was being broadcast live by the BBC. 

The message read: ‘Free Palestine. United Nations have called it a genocide. The BBC calls it a “conflict”.’

They then led the huge crowd in chants of ‘Free Free Palestine’ and ‘Death Death to the IDF’.

Afterwards singer Bob Vylan told fans: ‘From the river to the sea Palestine must be, will be, free.’

Although met by raucous cheers and applause from the audience, the chant also sparked fury from some online. 

One person said: ‘A shame he doesn’t feel so strongly about the terrorists who killed music festivalgoers on Oct 7th.’

A second added: ‘Isn’t it supposed to be a music content?’

A third described the band as ‘incredibly cringe’ and accused them of ‘jumping on the bandwagon’. 

The current war in Gaza was triggered by an attack by terrorist organisation Hamas on Israel on October 7, 2023 in which some 1,200 people were killed and took more than 251 people hostage.

In response Israel launched a full-scale invasion of the Gaza strip which has lasted almost two years and has led to the deaths of at least 56,412 people, many children and civilians.

The United Nations has said Israel’s actions, which include severely limited vital aid such as food, water and medical supplies into the Gaza Strip and raiding or bombing hospitals as ‘consistent with the characteristics of Genocide’.

An international arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also been issued by the International Criminal Court.

Israel denies it is committing genocide and claims there is no food shortage for the two million Gazans who live in the strip, something that is widely disputed by aid organisations and international bodies, which have warned thousands of babies are at risk of dying of famine. 

Performing on stage earlier, singer Bob Vylan was open about his and his bandmate’s support for Palestinians.

He said: ‘Recently a list was released of people trying to stop our mates Kneecap from performing here today. And who do I see on that f***ing list, but that bald-headed c*** I used to f***ing work for.’

Vylan had been speaking about a colleague at a record company he used to work at. His words were met with loud boos from the crowd.

He continued: ‘So look, we have done it all, from working in bars to working or f***ing Zionists.

‘So if we can do this, you can do absolutely anything that you put your mind to I’m telling you this.

‘Don’t give up on your dreams, and if you’ve got to go to that s***ty job to pay your bills and pay your rent you do what you’ve got to do to survive in this world.’

Later during a break between songs, the singer said: ‘We’re seeing some f***ed up things in the world. We’re seeing the UK and the US be complicit in war crimes and genocide happening over there to the Palestinian people.

‘And I know we’re on the BBC, we’re not going to say anything crazy. Leave that for them lads, you know what I mean.

‘But unfortunately we have seen a strange reaction to people that come out and voice support for Palestine. Even though anybody with any moral compass can surely see that what is happening over there in Gaza is a tragedy.

‘We are not pacifist punks here over at Bob Vylan Enterprises. We are the violent punks, because sometimes, you have to get your message across with violence because that is the only language some people speak.’