The Israeli embassy in the UK said it was deeply disturbed by the inciting and hateful rhetoric expressed on stage during the Glastonbury music festival over the weekend.
Palestinian flags and chants including "death to Israel" and "death to the IDF" were part of British band Bob Vylan's performance that was carried live by the BBC.
Freedom of expression is a cornerstone of democracy. But when speech crosses into incitement, hatred and advocacy of ethnic cleansing, it must be called out," the embassy said in a post.
"Chants such as 'Death to the IDF' and 'From the river to the sea' are slogans that advocate for the dismantling of the State of Israel and implicitly call for the elimination of Jewish self-determination. When such messages are delivered before tens of thousands of festivalgoers and met with applause, it raises serious concerns about the normalization of extremist language and the glorification of violence."
The London-based punk duo took the stage shortly before the Irish group Kneecap, which has drawn controversy in recent months for overt pro-Palestinian messaging during live performances.
Earlier in the day, the BBC announced it would not broadcast Kneecap’s set live. “Whilst the BBC doesn't ban artists, our plans ensure that our programming meets our editorial guidelines,” the network said in a statement.
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Throughout the set, messages criticizing the BBC were projected behind the band. “I know we’re on BBC right now, so we’re not going to say anything too crazy — we’ll leave that to the guys coming up after us,” the singer said, pointing toward Kneecap.
Glastonbury organizer Emily Eavis said in a post that chants "death to the IDF" crossed a line.
"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," adding a performer's comments "should never be seen as a tacit endorsement of their opinions and beliefs".