Band member releases full statement after controversial Glastonbury performance is probed by police
The performer Bobby Vylan, of punk duo Bob Vylan, has released a full statement after police said they would be investigating his performance at Glastonbury.
He was on the festival's West Holts Stage on Saturday (28 June) when he led crowds in chants of 'free, free Palestine' and then 'death, death to the IDF'.
Avon and Somerset Police said they would be reviewing footage of the set 'to determine whether any offences may have been committed that would require a criminal investigation'.
The BBC said that some of the things Vylan said at Glastonbury were 'deeply offensive' and said it has 'no plans to make the performance available on demand'.
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Glastonbury said that Vylan 'crossed a line' and that it was 'appalled' by what the band had said on stage over the weekend, saying: "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.
“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.”
Vylan initially responded by posting a selfie of himself holding a tub of vegan ice cream and said he was eating it 'while zionists are crying on socials'.
He's now released a full statement on the matter to his Instagram account, saying he wanted to 'encourage and inspire future generations to pick up the torch that was passed to us'.
In a post captioned 'I said what I said', he wrote: "As I lay in bed this morning, my phone buzzing non stop, inundated with messages of both support and hatred, I listen to my daughter typing out loud as she fills out a school survey asking for her feedback on the current state of her school dinners.
"She expressed that she would like healthier meals, more options and dishes inspired by other parts of the world.
"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."
He continued: "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 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 we are offered.
"Today it is a change in school dinners, tomorrow it is a change in foreign policy."
Topics: Glastonbury, Music, Crime, Palestine, Israel
Joe Harker