Glastonbury performances from Bob Vylan and Kneecap confirmed to face criminal investigation

Punk group Bob Vylan's set saw the group's singer, Bobby Vylan, leading chants of "death to the IDF", referring to the Israel Defence Forces, and using the controversial slogan "from the river to the sea, Palestine must be, will be, free".

Meanwhile, Kneecap's set was not broadcast live on the BBC due to editorial concerns around impartiality, but the broadcaster later made it available on iPlayer on Sunday, with some edits.

Now, Avon and Somerset Police has released a statement saying: "Video footage and audio from Bob Vylan and Kneecap's performances at Glastonbury Festival on Saturday has been reviewed.

"Following the completion of that assessment process we have decided further enquiries are required and a criminal investigation is now being undertaken.

"A senior detective has been appointed to lead this investigation. This has been recorded as a public order incident at this time while our enquiries are at an early stage."

The police force added that the investigation will be "evidence-led and will closely consider all appropriate legislation, including relating to hate crimes". It noted that it had received a large amount of contact in relation to the events, and that it recognised "the strength of public feeling".

"There is absolutely no place in society for hate," the force added.

Following his set, Vylan was criticised by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who said in a statement that "there is no excuse for this kind of appalling hate speech".

Sir Keir also said "the BBC needs to explain how these scenes came to be broadcast", as the set was aired live.

The BBC later released a statement saying that while it "respects freedom of expression", it "stands firmly against incitement to violence".

It noted that Vylan's performance was not made available on demand, and added that "the team were dealing with a live situation but with hindsight we should have pulled the stream during the performance. We regret this did not happen."

The Prime Minister also criticised Kneecap, both ahead of the festival and following it. He said after the performance: "I said that Kneecap should not be given a platform and that goes for any other performers making threats or inciting violence."

Meanwhile, Glastonbury organiser Emily Eavis said in a statement that "we are appalled by the statements made from the West Holts stage by Bob Vylan yesterday", adding that "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".

Bobby Vylan posted on Instagram on Sunday 29th June to say that he had been "inundated" with messages of "support and hatred", adding: "I said what I said."

Check out more of our Entertainment coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.