Rappers sue broadcaster over claim singer led 'antisemitic chants' at Glastonbury gig

Punk-rap duo Bob Vylan are suing Irish nationalist broadcaster RTE for defamation, claiming it misrepresented chants led by the set erstwhile they played this year's Glastonbury festival.

The group, which performed astatine Dublin's Vicar Street past month, assertion they were defamed successful a study by RTE News that said the pb vocalist led antisemitic chants erstwhile they played the Somerset festival successful June.

During their performance, vocalist Pascal Robinson-Foster, whose signifier sanction is Bobby Vylan, led a chant of "death, death, to the IDF [Israel Defence Forces]".

It provoked wide disapproval of the artist, including from Glastonbury organiser Emily Eavis, and the BBC, which unrecorded streamed their show.

Phoenix Law launched ineligible enactment connected behalf of Robinson-Foster and drummer Wade Laurence George astatine Ireland's High Court connected Monday, according to tribunal records.

The steadfast said: "The proceedings originate from a broadcast aired by RTE News pursuing Bob Vylan's show astatine Glastonbury Festival connected 28 June 2025.

"During this broadcast, comments were made alleging that the pb vocalist of Bob Vylan led antisemitic chants. These allegations are categorically denied by our clients and are wholly untrue."

Phoenix Law said Bob Vylan had made statements expressing enactment for Palestinian self-determination and criticising subject actions by the IDF (Israel Defence Forces).

His comments did not people Jewish radical oregon explicit hatred towards immoderate group, the steadfast said, suggesting they were "politically charged but not antisemitic successful nature".

Solicitor Darragh Mackin said the brace "are nary alien to utilising their state of look to talk retired against the genocide in Gaza".

Mr Mackin said determination was "a cardinal favoritism betwixt speaking critically astir the relation of the Israeli authorities forces, and being antisemitic".

"The erstwhile is code wrong the confines of governmental expression, whereas the second is simply a signifier of hatred directed towards Jewish people," helium added.

Read much connected Sky News:
Who are Bob Vylan?

The BBC apologised, including to the Jewish community, and said it regretted not pulling the unrecorded watercourse of the acceptable and promised not to unrecorded watercourse "high-risk" acts successful future.

It partially upheld complaints made implicit the broadcast, accepting the unrecorded watercourse broke the corporation's editorial guidelines.

Ofcom's main executive, Dame Melanie Dawes, said the BBC needed to "get a grip quicker" connected handling specified controversies and implicit its interior reports and investigations sooner.

Last month, the Metropolitan Police said detectives would take nary further action implicit akin alleged chants made astatine a Bob Vylan gig successful London successful May.

Avon and Somerset Police said a man, successful his 30s, understood to beryllium Mr Robinson-Foster, had voluntarily attended an interrogation successful narration to the band's Glastonbury performance.

The idiosyncratic was not arrested but an probe was ongoing, the Met said.

The US condemned the act's "hateful tirade", revoking their visas, portion respective festivals cancelled their upcoming appearances.

Speaking to Louis Theroux successful October, Bobby Vylan said he had nary regrets astir the chants and would bash it again "tomorrow".

Sky News has contacted RTE for comment.