UK police to review Glastonbury acts over pro-Palestine chants

British punk-rap duo Bob Vylan on Saturday led the crowd in chants of “Free Palestine” and “Death to IDF” during their Glastonbury Festival performance, prompting British police to review comments made on stage by both Bob Vylan and Irish hip hop group Kneecap, Anadolu reports.

Kneecap, also performing at the festival, expressed pro-Palestine messages. Rapper Liam O’Hanna, a member of the group, sent greetings from the stage to “Palestine Action,” a pro-Palestine organization reportedly facing a ban by the UK government.

O’Hanna recalled UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s statement that Kneecap performing at the festival “was not appropriate” and criticized Starmer, telling the crowd: “The Prime Minister of your country, not mine, said he didn’t want us to play, so f**k Keir Starmer.”

While on stage, O’Hanna wore a Palestinian keffiyeh, and many Palestinian flags were seen among the audience.

Last year, O’Hanna was charged with a terror offense for holding a Hezbollah flag at a London concert. He is scheduled to appear in court again in August.

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The BBC, which broadcast the festival live, aired Bob Vylan’s performance without censorship but did not broadcast Kneecap’s act live, citing editorial guidelines.

A BBC spokesperson described the comments made during Vylan’s performance as “deeply offensive” and stated the broadcaster has no plans to make the performance available on its iPlayer streaming platform.

It was reported that BBC Director-General Tim Davie was summoned for an urgent meeting with UK Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Lisa Nandy.

Avon and Somerset police said: “We are aware of the comments made by acts on the West Holts stage at Glastonbury festival this afternoon. Video evidence will be assessed by officers to determine whether any offences may have been committed that would require a criminal investigation.”

In a statement on X, the Israeli embassy also said it was “deeply disturbed by the inflammatory and hateful rhetoric expressed on stage at the Glastonbury festival.”

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