UK police say pro-Palestine performances at Glastonbury subject to probe

British constabulary person announced that the play performances by rap-punk duo Bob Vylan and the Irish-language set Kneecap astatine the Glastonbury Festival are taxable to a transgression probe aft they led crowds successful chants calling for “death” to the Israeli subject and a “free Palestine”.

Police connected Monday said the performances astatine the United Kingdom’s largest summertime euphony festival “have been recorded arsenic a nationalist bid incident”.

Rapper Bobby Vylan, who until the play was comparatively unknown, led crowds successful chants of “free, escaped Palestine” and “death, death” to the Israeli military.

The BBC said it regretted livestreaming the show and it should person pulled it disconnected the air.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and different UK politicians condemned the chants, saying determination was nary excuse for specified “appalling hatred speech”. Starmer added that the BBC indispensable explicate “how these scenes came to beryllium broadcast”.

Ofcom, the broadcasting regulator, said it was “very concerned” astir the BBC livestream and said the broadcaster “clearly has questions to answer”.

Meanwhile, the United States Department of State said it has revoked the visas for Bob Vylan to execute successful the US aft its “hateful tirade astatine Glastonbury”.

“Foreigners who glorify unit and hatred are not invited visitors to our country,” US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said successful a societal media post.

Israel’s genocidal battle successful Gaza has inflamed tensions astir the world, triggering pro-Palestinian protests successful galore capitals and connected assemblage campuses. Israel and immoderate of its supporters person described the protests arsenic anti-Semitic portion critics said Israel uses specified descriptions to soundlessness its opponents.

Glastonbury Festivalgoers ticker arsenic Kneecap performs successful Pilton, Somerset, England [Jaimi Joy/Reuters]

While maintaining a crippling siege connected the bombarded enclave, Israeli forces person killed astatine slightest 56,531 radical and wounded 133,642, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health.

Bob Vylan, known for mixing grime and punk rock, tackles a scope of issues successful its lyrics, including racism, homophobia and the people divide, and has antecedently voiced enactment for Palestinians.

Its pb vocalist, who goes by the signifier sanction Bobby Vylan, appeared to notation to the play show successful a station connected Instagram, writing: “I said what I said.”

“Teaching our children to talk up for the alteration they privation and request is the lone mode that we marque this satellite a amended place,” helium added.

The duo played Saturday day close earlier Kneecap, whose acceptable was not livestreamed by the BBC but inactive recovered a immense online assemblage via TikTok. It is different set that has drawn contention antecedently implicit its powerfully pro-Palestine stance.

Kneecap led a assemblage of tens of thousands successful chants of “Free Palestine” astatine the festival. It besides aimed an expletive-laden chant astatine Starmer, who had said helium didn’t deliberation it was “appropriate” for Kneecap to play Glastonbury aft 1 of its members was charged nether the Terrorism Act.

Liam Og O hAnnaidh, who is besides known arsenic Liam O’Hanna and performs nether the signifier sanction Mo Chara, was charged with supporting a proscribed organisation for allegedly waving a Hezbollah emblem astatine a performance successful London past year.

Israel has faced sustained planetary opprobrium for the behaviour of its warfare successful Gaza. Weekly protests gully thousands of radical astir Europe and crossed the satellite successful enactment of Palestinians.

Public pressure, successful part, seemed to punctual the Israeli allies France, Canada and the UK to contented a sharply worded connection successful May calling for Israel to halt its “egregious” subject actions successful Gaza and criticising Israel’s actions successful the occupied West Bank.