Listen to this article
Estimated 3 minutes
The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.
British police said on Tuesday they would take no further action over comments made about the Israeli military during a performance by punk duo Bob Vylan at the Glastonbury music festival in June.
“We have concluded, after reviewing all the evidence, that it does not meet the criminal threshold outlined by the CPS [Crown Prosecution Service] for any person to be prosecuted,” Avon and Somerset Police said.
The performance by Bob Vylan included on-stage chants by lead singer Bobby Vylan of “death, death to the IDF,” a reference to the Israel Defence Forces’ fighting in Gaza.
There was insufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction, the police said.
The force said it interviewed a man in his mid-30s and contacted about 200 members of the public during the investigation.
The on-stage comments drew widespread criticism, including from British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who called the chant “appalling hate speech,” and the Israeli embassy in London. The BBC, Britain’s publicly owned broadcaster, also faced backlash for not halting a livestream of the performance.
Intent, wider context considered
After the performance earlier this year, Bobby Vylan posted to social media that he had been inundated with both “support and hatred” for the chant.
“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,” he said.
In its statement on Tuesday, Avon and Somerset Police said it considered the intent behind the words, the wider context, case law and freedom-of-speech issues before concluding the investigation.
“We believe it is right this matter was comprehensively investigated, every potential criminal offence was thoroughly considered, and we sought all the advice we could to ensure we made an informed decision,” it said.
“The comments made on Saturday 28 June drew widespread anger, proving that words have real-world consequences,” the statement said, adding the force had engaged with Jewish community groups throughout the process.
Earlier this year, British police had said that comments by Bob Vylan and Irish group Kneecap at the festival would both be subject to a criminal investigation.
An earlier terrorism charge against a member of Kneecap for allegedly displaying a flag of the militant group Hezbollah was thrown out in September, and one member of the group was barred from entering Canada earlier this year after an MP first said the entire group was being barred entry.
