Police are reviewing both Kneecap and Bob Vylan’s performances at Glastonbury 2025 to assess whether any offences have been committed.
Both artists performed on Saturday afternoon (June 28), playing back-to-back sets on the West Holts stage.
Bob Vylan came on first, with a set that saw frontman Bobby Vylan speak out in solidarity with bands that “use their platform to speak up for the Palestinian people”, mentioning Kneecap, Amyl & The Sniffers and The Murder Capital.
@gbnews Punk band Bob Vylan have sparked uproar after they used their Glastonbury set to leads chants of “Death to the IDF” and “Free, Free Palestine”. The group also expressed solidarity with Irish rap trio Kneecap, who were scheduled to perform 30 minutes after them on the West Holts stage, after it was confirmed the BBC would not be broadcasting their set live. #Glastonbury #BobVylan #Israel #Gaza #BBC #GBNews ♬ original sound – GB News
During their set, the crowd started a chant of “free, free Palestine”. In response, Bobby asked, “Have you heard this one?”, before leading a new chant saying “death, death to the IDF”, in reference to the Israeli Defense Forces, the armed forces of Israel who are currently part of the war in Gaza.
Kneecap’s set saw them take aim at their critics and opposition, including Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Sharon Osbourne. While onstage, they thanked Glastonbury for keeping them on the bill and told the crowd that the “prime minister of your country, not mine, said he didn’t want us to play”, referring to Starmer.
They also touched on the ongoing war in Gaza, with Mo Chara saying “We understand colonialism and we understand how important it is to support each other internationally.” He then led the crowd into another chant of “free, free Palestine” after accusing Israel of genocide.
@.thebasementpeople Roll on Finsbury Park #fyp #glastonbury #glasto2025 #kneecap ♬ original sound – The Basement People
Since both politically charged performances, Avon and Somerset Police have said they will be investigating both sets from Bob Vylan and Kneecap. On social media, they posted: “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.”
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. pic.twitter.com/w2RQ4LdQf3
— Avon and Somerset Police (@ASPolice) June 28, 2025
Lisa Nandy, the Culture Secretary, has ordered Tim Davie, the BBC’s director-general, to explain why the performance by Bob Vylan was streamed on iPlayer. Prior to Kneecap’s performance at Glastonbury, she voiced her opposition to their inclusion on the bill during an episode of Politics Live, saying “This is a band that has thrived on the oxygen of publicity”.
In response to the controversy around Bob Vylan’s onstage comments, a BBC spokesperson has said that their set, which was livestreamed on iPlayer, won’t be available on demand: “Some of the comments made during Bob Vylan’s set were deeply offensive,” they told the Independent.
A government spokesperson has also provided a statement against Vylan’s controversial crowd chant: “We strongly condemn the threatening comments made by Bob Vylan at Glastonbury.
“The Culture Secretary has spoken to the BBC Director General to seek an urgent explanation about what due diligence it carried out ahead of the Bob Vylan performance, and welcomes the decision not to re-broadcast it on BBC iPlayer.”
It’s been an exciting weekend of music at Glastonbury 2025. As well as standout sets from headliners like Olivia Rodrigo and The 1975, there were a number of secret sets that took place. Click to read our coverage on sets from Skepta, Lorde and Lewis Capaldi.
