UK Prime Minister Blasts Rapper’s ‘Death to the IDF’ Chant at Glastonbury Festival

U.S. authorities could be looking into canceling the visa of the band Bob Vylan ahead of their nationwide tour.

Bob Vylan perform on the West Holts Stage, during the Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm in Somerset, England, on June 28, 2025. Yui Mok/PA via AP

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said he was appalled by on-stage chanting against the Israeli military by punk-rap duo Bob Vylan during their performance at the Glastonbury festival.

During their show on June 29, the band’s singer, Bobby Vylan, chanted “Death, death, to the IDF,” in reference to the Israel Defense Forces, while on stage in front of 200,000 people at the festival, which was held in Somerset, England, and is one of the world’s largest music events.

“There is no excuse for this kind of appalling hate speech,” Starmer said in a statement. “I said that Kneecap should not be given a platform, and that goes for any other performers making threats or inciting violence.”

The festival organisers said on Instagram that Bob Vylan’s statements “very much crossed a line.”

“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,” they said on Sunday.

Police said they were considering whether to launch an investigation.

“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,” Avon and Somerset Police wrote on social media platform X on Sunday.

A spokesperson for the BBC, which live-streamed the festival, said some of the comments were “deeply offensive”, adding it had issued a warning on screen about “very strong and discriminatory language.” The set will not be available on BBC iPlayer.

The United States has revoked visas for members of Bob Vylan ahead of a countrywide tour.

“The @StateDept has revoked the US visas for the members of the Bob Vylan band in light of their hateful tirade at Glastonbury, including leading the crowd in death chants. Foreigners who glorify violence and hatred are not welcome visitors to our country,” U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said in a post on social media platform X.

Band member Bobby Vylan told his fans on Facebook on Sunday that he had been “inundated” with a mixture of “support and hatred.”

“I said what I said,” he added.

Shortly after Bob Vylan’s set, the Belfast hip-hop trio Kneecap took to the stage, leading the crowd in chants of “Free Palestine.”

Known by the stage name Mo Chara, band member Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh was charged with a terrorism offence last month for allegedly displaying a flag in support of the Iranian-backed terrorist group Hezbollah at a concert. He has denied the charge and is now on unconditional bail ahead of his trial in August.

Kneecap was also investigated after a video from November 2023 appeared to show one member of the group saying: “The only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your local MP.”

The group apologised to the families of murdered MPs, but claimed that footage of the incident had been “exploited and weaponised.”

A Met Police spokesman told The Epoch Times by email that, regarding the “Kill your local MP” comments, “based on all of the current evidence available, a decision has been made that no further action will be taken at this time.”

“We understand the impact this decision may have on MPs and their staff. The safety and security of MPs is something that is taken extremely seriously across the whole of policing,” he added.

Reuters contributed to this report.