Glastonbury organizer Emily Eavis has condemned anti-IDF chants made by performer Bob Vylan at the U.K. music festival.
The rap duo have come under fire for encouraging audiences at the event in Somerset, England, to join in on shouting “death to the IDF” [the Israel Defense Forces] during their set on the West Holts stage on Saturday.
Eavis, the youngest daughter of Glastonbury Festival co-founder Michael Eavis, posted to Instagram on Sunday to say that the team are “appalled” by the band’s behavior.
“Their chants very much crossed a line and 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,” she wrote.
Eavis continued: “As a festival, we stand against all forms of war and terrorism — we will always believe in — and actively campaign for — hope, unity, peace and love”, adding a performer’s comments “should never be seen as a tacit endorsement of their opinions and beliefs… With almost 4,000 performances at Glastonbury 2025, there will inevitably be artists and speakers appearing on our stages whose views we do not share.”
Bob Vylan aren’t the only act to draw attention to the war in Gaza. At the same stage on Saturday, Irish rap trio Kneecap voiced their pro-Palestine views and used the platform to criticize the U.K. and U.S. governments, as well as the U.S. media.
They thanked the Eavis family for allowing them to play despite pushback from U.K. politicians, including Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy. “A big thank you to the Eavis family,” Kneecap said. “The pressure that that family was under and they stood strong. Fair play to them.”
In May, the Met Police said it would investigate after online videos showed the band calling for the death of British parliament ministers, as well as chanting “up Hamas, up Hezbollah.” It is illegal in the U.K. to express support for Hezbollah, a Shia Muslim political and military group in Lebanon, as it is considered a terrorist organization in Britain.
Glastonbury Festival runs Jun. 25-29.
