PRIME Minister Keir Starmer has said Bob Vylan’s chants about the Israeli military at Glastonbury were “appalling hate speech” and doubled down on calls for Kneecap to be deplatformed.
The Labour leader's comments come after Bobby Vylan, of rap punk duo Bob Vylan, led crowds at the festival’s West Holts Stage in chants of “Free, free Palestine” and “Death, death to the IDF”.
Irish trio Kneecap performed to a packed-out crowd after Bobby Vylan’s set at the festival where they led chants of “f*** Keir Starmer” after several politicians called for the group to be removed from the line-up in the run up to the festival, including Starmer who said their performance would not be “appropriate”.
Responding to the chants from Bob Vylan, the Prime Minister has questioned why the BBC allowed it to be broadcast while doubling down on calls for deplatforming Kneecap.
He said: “There is no excuse for this kind of appalling hate speech.
“I said that Kneecap should not be given a platform and that goes for any other performers making threats or inciting violence.
“The BBC needs to explain how these scenes came to be broadcast.”
Earlier on Sunday, Avon and Somerset Police said video evidence from both Kneecap and Bobby Vylan’s performances would be assessed by officers “to determine whether any offences may have been committed that would require a criminal investigation”.
A statement posted to Instagram from Glastonbury’s organisers said that Bob Vylan’s chants “very much crossed a line”.
Organisers added: “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.”
When asked for comment a BBC spokesperson said: “Some of the comments made during Bob Vylan’s set were deeply offensive.
“During this live stream on iPlayer, which reflected what was happening on stage, a warning was issued on screen about the very strong and discriminatory language. We have no plans to make the performance available on demand.”
Kneecap, who hail from Belfast, have been in the headlines after member Liam Og O hAnnaidh, stage name Mo Chara, was charged with a terror offence.
The group performed after Vylan’s set on the West Holts Stage, which the BBC decided not to broadcast live, with O hAnnaidh exclaiming “Glastonbury, I’m a free man” as they took to the stage.
In reference to his bandmate’s forthcoming court date, Naoise O Caireallain, stage name Moglai Bap, said they would “start a riot outside the courts”, before clarifying: “No riots just love and support, and support for Palestine”.
During the performance, Caireallain called out the Prime Minister for his previous comments, as he said: “The Prime Minister of your country, not mine, said he didn’t want us to play, so f*** Keir Starmer.”
He also said a “big thank you to the Eavis family” and said “they stood strong” amid calls for the organisers to drop them from the line-up.
