Glastonbury Festival organizers expressed their dismay over recent comments by the punk duo Bob Vylan, who called for “death” to the Israeli military during their Saturday performance. Rapper Bobby Vylan led the crowd in chants for a “free Palestine” and “death, death to the IDF [Israel Defense Forces].”

The festival stated that these remarks “very much crossed a line,” and antisemitism advocates announced plans to formally complain to the BBC regarding its choice to broadcast the performance live. A BBC spokesperson acknowledged that some comments were “deeply offensive,” noting that a warning about “very strong and discriminatory language” had been displayed on screen. Furthermore, the performance will not be available for viewing on BBC iPlayer.

Bob Vylan is a London-based punk duo consisting of Bobby Vylan, the singer and guitarist, and Bobbie Vylan, the drummer, both of whom use stage names for privacy and collectively refer to themselves as “the Bobs.”

In a joint Instagram post by Glastonbury Festival and organizer Emily Eavis on Sunday, the event reaffirmed its stance “against all forms of war and terrorism.” They emphasized that with nearly 4,000 performances, there will be artists and speakers whose views may not align with those of the festival. However, they voiced their concern over the statements made by Bob Vylan, insisting that such chants “very much crossed a line” and reminding all involved in the festival that there is no tolerance for antisemitism, hate speech, or incitement to violence.

In an interview with the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Health Secretary Wes Streeting described Bob Vylan’s remarks as “revolting.” He elaborated, “If I think about the war in Ukraine, no doubt I want Ukraine to win, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to be cheering on the deaths of Russians; I don’t think anyone wins from that.” Streeting highlighted the irony, noting that Israelis had been taken from a music festival, subjected to violence, and in some cases are still held captive. He emphasized that all lives are precious, regardless of nationality or faith, and stated that the deep-rooted conflict cannot be resolved through such provocations.

When asked about the Israeli Embassy’s concerns regarding the glorification of violence, Streeting acknowledged that it was a significant issue, adding that the embassy should also address its own challenges, referencing recent reports of violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. He concluded by noting that both the BBC and Glastonbury Festival have “questions to answer” about how such a spectacle made it to the screen.

The Campaign Against Antisemitism has publicly stated on X that Glastonbury is dangerously veering towards extremism and hatred, further asserting that the BBC’s actions pose an even greater threat. The group plans to lodge a formal complaint against the BBC for airing performances, including that of the Irish-language rap group Kneecap, who have previously referred to Israel’s military operations in Gaza as genocide.

Although the BBC opted not to broadcast Kneecap’s performance live due to concerns regarding impartiality, they announced on Sunday that a version would be available on iPlayer, albeit with some edits. The BBC clarified that the edits were made to comply with their editorial guidelines on artistic expression, and they included warnings on any strong language used.

Kneecap has recently gained attention following charges against rapper Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, known as Mo Chara, for allegedly displaying the flag of the terrorist organization Hezbollah at a performance last year. He has denied the charge and remains on bail, with a court appearance scheduled for August 20.

After performances from both Kneecap and Bob Vylan, Avon and Somerset Police announced plans to review footage from the West Holts Stage to evaluate if any comments made during the acts could warrant a criminal investigation.

In response to Bob Vylan’s performance, a government spokesperson revealed that Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy had reached out to BBC director general Tim Davie seeking clarification on the broadcaster’s due diligence before airing the act. The government also expressed approval of the decision not to re-broadcast the performance on iPlayer.

Kneecap’s intense performance on Saturday drew thousands of viewers, who joined in chants aimed at Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer after he labeled their appearance at Glastonbury as “not appropriate.”

Additionally, on Sunday, the Met Police announced they would not pursue prosecution related to videos from April that seemingly showed Kneecap calling for harm against British MPs. They stated, “A range of offences were considered as part of the investigation. However, given the elapsed time between the events in the video and when it was reported to police, any potential summary offences are beyond the statutory time limit for prosecution.”