But when Speech Crosses Into Incitement

Chants of death to the Israeli military at Glastonbury were “terrible” and the BBC and the celebration have questions to respond to, Wes Streeting has stated, while adding that Israel needs to “get its own house in order”.

The health secretary said the shouting should not have actually been to those enjoying in your home, highlighting that Israelis at a comparable music festival were kidnapped, murdered and raped.

“I believed it’s dreadful, to be sincere, and I believe the BBC and Glastonbury have actually got questions to answer about how we saw such a spectacle on our screens,” he informed Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips on Sky News. “But I likewise think it’s a pretty shameless publicity stunt, which I don’t actually desire to offer excessive indulgence to for that factor.”

He also had strong words for Israel, which has condemned the chanting. Streeting stated what people ought to be talking about in the context of Israel and Gaza is the humanitarian catastrophe in the territory and the reality that Israeli inhabitants assaulted a Christian village in the West Bank today.

“All life is sacred. And I find it quite revolting we’ve got to a state in this dispute where you’re supposed to sort of cheer on one side or the other like it’s a football team,” he said.

Inquired about the Israel embassy’s response to the chants at Glastonbury, he said: “Well, I ‘d state sort of 2 things in action to those words from the Israeli embassy. Firstly, I do think that if I take the equivalent of the war in Ukraine, I’m unequivocal about which side of that war I’m on. I desire Ukraine to win. Would I be celebrating or shouting for the death of Russian soldiers? No, I want to see an end to the war, and I wish to see an end to the conflict.

“I ‘d likewise say to the Israeli embassy, get your own house in order in terms of the conduct of your own residents and the settlers in the West Bank. So, you understand, I think there’s a severe point there by the Israeli embassy I take seriously. I wish they ‘d take the violence of their own citizens towards Palestinians more seriously.”

Police are taking a look at videos of remarks made by the acts Bob Vylan and Kneecap at Glastonbury as the celebration enters its third day.

On Saturday the rapper Bobby Vylan, of the 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 [Israel Defense Forces].

Describing himself as a “violent punk”, he said: “Sometimes we need to get our message throughout with violence because that’s the only language some individuals speak, regrettably.”

Glastonbury organisers said on Sunday that the act had actually crossed a line. “With nearly 4,000 performances at Glastonbury 2025, there will undoubtedly be artists and speakers appearing on our stages whose views we do not share, and an entertainer’s existence here should never be viewed as a tacit endorsement of their opinions and beliefs,” the celebration stated in a statement.

“However, we are horrified by the declarations made from the West Holts stage by Bob Vylan yesterday.

“Their chants really much crossed a line and we are urgently advising everyone included in the production of the festival that there is no place at Glastonbury for antisemitism, hate speech or incitement to violence.”

Bob Vylan performed before the Irish rap trio Kneecap, who got in touch with fans to show up at Westminster magistrates to support the band member Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, understood as Mo Chara, who was charged with a terrorism offense for holding a Hezbollah flag at a London gig last November.

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Ó hAnnaidh told the crowd on Saturday: “Glastonbury, I’m a free male!” He included: “If any person falls down, you’ve got to choose them up. We have actually got to keep each other safe.” He thanked the Eavis household, the celebration’s organisers, for “holding strong” and allowing their efficiency to go ahead.

Avon and Somerset authorities said: “We are mindful of the comments made by acts on the West Holts phase at Glastonbury festival this afternoon. Video evidence will be assessed by officers to figure out whether any offenses might have been dedicated that would require a criminal investigation.”

The Israeli embassy said it was “deeply disturbed by the inflammatory and despiteful rhetoric expressed on stage at the Glastonbury celebration”.

A declaration on X stated: “Freedom of expression is a cornerstone of democracy. But when speech crosses into incitement, hatred, and advocacy of ethnic cleaning, it needs to be called out – especially when amplified by public figures on popular platforms.

“Chants such as ‘Death to the IDF,’ and ‘From the river to the sea’ are slogans that advocate for the taking apart of the state of Israel and implicitly require the elimination of Jewish self-determination. When such messages are provided before 10s of thousands of festivalgoers and consulted with applause, it raises severe issues about the normalisation of extremist language and the glorification of violence.