What did Bob Vylan say at Glastonbury? Comments controversy explained 

By Pallavi Kanungo

On June 28, 2025, English punk duo Bob Vylan, comprising singer Bobby Vylan and drummer Bobbie Vylan, performed at this year’s Glastonbury Festival in Somerset, England.Trigger warning: This article has references to hate speech and violence. Readers’ discretion is advised.However, they are currently trending after vocalist Bobby Vylan took to the stage ahead of their set and advocated for a free Palestine and condemned the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), while calling themselves “violent punk.”Bobby was heard saying, “Free, Free Palestine” and “Death, Death to the IDF,” as the crowd appeared to repeat the slogans after him. He further continued:“Hell yeah, from the river to the sea, Palestine must be, will be… free… Sometimes we have to get our message across with violence because that’s the only language some people speak, unfortunately.”During Bob Vylan’s performance, the stage at Glastonbury Festival also displayed the Palestinian flag. The moment has now gone viral and sparked controversy online, and the duo has been accused of allegedly inciting violence, promoting hate speech, and antisemitism.However, despite the pushback, Bobby Vylan took to Instagram and wrote, “I said what I said,” adding that he was trying to set a good example for his daughter. His other member, Bobbie, hasn’t addressed the matter yet.Meanwhile, Emily Eavis, the organizer of the five-day contemporary arts and music festival, shared a public statement, denouncing the punk duo.“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,” Eavis stated.She continued that Bob Vylan “crossed a line” with their comments, adding the organizers were “appalled” by them.More about the recent Bob Vylan controversyFollowing Bob Vylan’s comments on the West Holts stage on Saturday afternoon, the BBC, which broadcast the festival live, has taken down the duo’s performance from their streaming platforms. Earlier, it came with a disclaimer that the punk artists’ set included “strong and discriminatory language.” View this post on Instagram Instagram PostAs per The Guardian’s June 29 report, a BBC spokesperson shared that Vylan’s remarks were “deeply offensive.” Organizer Emily Eavis noted:“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, and a performer’s presence here should never be seen as a tacit endorsement of their opinions and beliefs.”“However, we are appalled by the statements made from the West Holts stage by Bob Vylan yesterday. 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,” Eavis added.Likewise, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer shared a statement with The Telegraph.“There is no excuse for this kind of appalling hate speech. I said that Kneecap should not be given a platform, and that goes for any other performers making threats or inciting violence. The BBC needs to explain how these scenes came to be broadcast,” Starmer added.Notably, the government had asked not to broadcast Irish hip-hop trio Kneecap’s performance, citing fears of them breaching “editorial guidelines.” Now, in the wake of Bob Vylan’s controversy, law enforcement is investigating both their and Kneecap’s performances, The Guardian reported.UK Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has asked the BBC’s head, Tim Davie, for an “urgent explanation,” while UK Health Secretary Wes Streeting described the remarks as “appalling” and a “shameless publicity stunt”. However, Streeting also asked the Israeli embassy to get their “own house in order.”Bobby Vylan and his daughter at the Glastonbury Festival 2025 – Day Four (Image via Getty)Meanwhile, the Israeli Embassy in the UK has criticized Bobby Vylan’s remarks, saying they were “deeply disturbed by the inflammatory and hateful rhetoric expressed on stage at the Glastonbury festival”. The X statement continued:“Freedom of expression is a cornerstone of democracy. But when speech crosses into incitement, hatred, and advocacy of ethnic cleansing, it must be called out – especially when amplified by public figures on prominent platforms.”It further read:”Chants such as ‘Death to the IDF’ and ‘From the river to the sea’ are slogans that advocate for the dismantling of the state of Israel and implicitly call for the elimination of Jewish self-determination.”According to the Israeli embassy in the UK, when such messages were delivered before tens of thousands of festivalgoers, it raised “serious concerns about the normalisation of extremist language and the glorification of violence.” The United States Department of Justice has also denounced Bob Vylan’s comments.As for Bobby Vylan, he took to Instagram and mentioned that his phone had been buzzing nonstop with messages of “both support and hatred.” However, he was seemingly unbothered by it and was focused on his daughter’s upcoming school dinners.He said he was inspired by her daughter filling up a feedback form about school dinners.“Listening to her voice, her opinions on a matter that she cares about and affects her daily, reminds me that we may not be doomed after all. Teaching our children to speak up for the change they want and need is the only way that we make this world a better place,” Bobby wrote.Adding that today’s change in school dinners can be tomorrow’s change in foreign policies, Bobby concluded:“It is incredibly important that we encourage and inspire future generations to pick up the torch that was passed on to us. Let us display to them loudly and visibly the right thing to do when we want and need change.”Bob Vylan’s member wrapped by saying that the young generation should see them “marching in the streets, campaigning on ground level, organizing online, and shouting about it on any and every stage we are offered.”Notably, Bob Vylan was not the only performer who advocated their support for Palestine at the 2025 Glastonbury Festival. CMAT, the Libertines, and Gary Lineker shouted “Free Palestine,” while Joy Crookes, TV on the Radio, Sorry, and Paloma Faith displayed Palestinian flags or keffiyeh scarves on stage. Nadine Shah even read out an open letter on behalf of the Artists for Palestine UK.

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