Glastonbury defends its values after Bob Vylan controversy sparks backlash

Glastonbury organizers have spoken out after Bob Vylan drew attention to the war in Gaza onstage on Saturday, June 28, 2025. During the duo's Glastonbury performance, they led the festival crowd in chants of "free, free Palestine" and "death, death to the IDF."

Following news that British police are reviewing videos of the band's performance, Glastonbury organizer Emily Eavis issued a statement condemning the alleged anti-IDF chants. Eavis posted on Instagram on Sunday, June 29, 2025, saying that the band "crossed a line" with their behavior.

"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," she wrote.

Eavis stated that they were "appalled" by the statements made by Bob Vylan during their set at the West Holts stage at the UK festival and that they "stand against all forms of war and terrorism." She also noted that with thousands of performances at Glastonbury 2025, some of them will express views that the festival does not necessarily endorse.

Eavis added that having certain artists at the festival "should never be seen as a tacit endorsement of their opinions and beliefs." Besides Bob Vylan, Irish rap trio Kneecap also made waves on the same stage on Saturday after using their set to voice their pro-Palestinian views. They also thanked the Eavis family for allowing them to perform at the festival despite the "pressure that that family was under" and the pushback the band has received from UK politicians.

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Bob Vylan releases a statement following the Glastonbury 2025 drama

Following the incident at their Glastonbury 2025 performance on Saturday, June 28, 2025, which led the British police to review the festival's acts, Bob Vylan posted a lengthy message on Instagram.

On Sunday, June 29, the punk duo's singer and guitarist, Bobby Vylan, shared a snippet of his morning, saying he received plenty of messages, both supportive and hateful. He also described how his morning went and how his daughter shared her opinions and things she liked, adding:

"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."

The musician also said that one of the key roles of the older generation is to encourage and inspire the younger ones to "pick up the torch that was passed on to us."

Bob Vylan's frontman further urged his over 150,000 followers on the platform to act for the change they want and to do it in a way that future generations can see, so they may be inspired to follow suit.

"Let them see us marching in the streets, campaigning on ground level, organizing online, and shouting about it on any and every stage that we are offered," he said.

In the caption, the Bob Vylan member further emphasized, "I said what I said."

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The 2025 Glastonbury Festival kicked off on June 25, 2025, at Worthy Farm and concluded on Sunday, June 29.

Edited by Shreya Das