Bob Vylan. Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images
Bob Vylan have issued a new statement following their performance at Glastonbury 2025, where the English punk-rap duo’s frontman Bobby Vylan led the crowd in a chant of “Death to the IDF.” Issues of condemnation were issued in response by British Prime Minister Kier Starmer, Glastonbury organizers, and the BBC, who apologized for live-streaming Bob Vylan’s set. Local police have also opened a criminal investigation into the performance.
The statement begins with allusions to Palestine Action, a U.K.-based advocacy group, and the Irish rap group Kneecap, both embroiled in controversies over their advocacy for Palestine. “Today, a good many people would have you believe a punk band is the number one threat to world peace. Last week, it was a Palestine pressure group, the week before that it was another band.
“We are not for the death of Jews, Arabs, or any other race or group of people. We are for the dismantling of a violent military machine.” The statement goes on to reference a recent Haaretz report on Israeli soldiers who were ordered to shoot unarmed civilians seeking aid in Gaza.
“We, like those in the spotlight before us, are not the story. We are a distraction from the story. And whatever sanctions we receive will be a distraction.”
Silence is not an option. pic.twitter.com/i5ubnDntUo
— Bob Vylan (@BobbyVylan) July 1, 2025
On June 30, Deputy Secretary of State Chris Landau announced that the United States would revoke Bob Vylan’s visas, potentially cancelling the band’s upcoming tour dates in October and November. “Foreigners who glorify violence and hatred are not welcome visitors to our country,” he wrote on X. Vylan’s talent agency UTA have also dropped the band following its set.
Glastonbury 2025 was the largest performance for Kneecap since Mo Chara, one of the rap group’s members, was charged with a terrorism offence for displaying the flag of Hezbollah during a show in London in November 2024. The show had faced pushback from Kier Starmer, who said hosting Kneecap was not “appropriate.” Kneecap’s performance was not streamed live by the BBC, and police are reportedly also investigating the group over its Glastonbury set.
Bob Vylan were one of several musical acts who expressed solidarity with Palestine during their Glastonbury performances. Nadine Shah, Marc Rebillet, Wolf Alice, Amyl and the Sniffers, and many others all used their sets to express outrage over Israel’s ongoing siege of Gaza.
In a previous statement, Bobby Vylan described how being a father inspired his Glastonbury remarks. “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. As we grow older and our fire possibly starts to dim under the suffocation of adult life and all its responsibilities, it is incredibly important that we encourage and inspire future generations to pick up the torch that was passed to us.
“Let us display to them loudly and visibly the right thing to do when we want and need change. Let them see us marching in the streets, campaigning on ground level, organising online and shouting about it on any and every stage that we are offered.”
