Police in England will not bring charges against Bob Vylan following an investigation into the punk-rap duo’s chants of “Death, death, to the I.D.F.” (referring to the Israel Defense Forces) and “Free, free Palestine” at the 2025 Glastonbury Festival.
The Avon and Somerset Constabulary in England announced the end of its investigation on Tuesday, Dec. 23.
“We have concluded, after reviewing all the evidence, that [the chant] does not meet the criminal threshold outlined by the CPS [Crown Prosecution Service] for any person to be prosecuted,” the police said. “No further action will be taken on the basis there is insufficient evidence for there to be a realistic prospect of conviction.”
The police shared some details about the investigation, saying they consulted with the CPS, another police force, the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s hate crimes department, an independent lawyer, and representatives “among our Jewish communities.” They also revealed that they “conducted a voluntary police interview” with a man in his mid-thirties in November (though he was not identified), and spoke with about 200 people who had attended the festival.
“We sought specific consideration around the words stated, in terms of the intent behind them, the wider context of how people heard what was said, case law and anything else potentially relevant, including freedom of speech,” the police said. “Every case must be treated on its own merits.”
In a statement shared on Instagram, Bob Vylan celebrated the decision but said “the criminal investigation of the chant was never warranted in the first place. Over the past 6 months, the media and politicians have consistently attacked us for using our art and platform to take a stand against the actions of Israel and its illegal occupying military force. For the past 6 months, Avon and Somerset police have investigated a small segment of a performance that was evidently not hateful, but was a display of solidarity with the Palestinian people.”
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The band went on to accuse the British government of using “scare tactics” to “ensure” that Bob Vylan’s Glastonbury did not “spark a trend in escalating support for Palestine,” adding: “While Palestinian people continue to be murdered at the hands of the IDF, the British government has focused its attention on doing everything it can to stifle the voices of those opposing that murder.”
Bob Vylan said they hoped the police’s decision to not pursue a criminal case “inspires others in the U.K. and around the world to speak up, and continue speaking up, in support of the Palestinian people, without fear. We have had our shows cancelled, visas revoked, our names tarnished, and our lives upended, but what we have lost in peace and security, we have gained tenfold in spirit and camaraderie. And that is unbreakable.”
Bob Vylan frontman, Bobby Vylan (real name Pascal Robinson-Foster) led the chants during the band’s performance at Glastonbury on June 28. Condemnation and accusations of antisemitism quickly followed, as Glastonbury organizers denounced the chant, the United States revoked the band’s travel visas, and other festivals started dropping Bob Vylan from their lineups. The police investigation began in July.
The band, long supporters of Palestine, stood by the chants and denied the allegations of antisemitism. In an initial Instagram post, Bobby Vylan wrote, “I said what I said,” adding that he had received “messages of both support and hatred.”
In July, the band issued a statement affirming a peaceful stance. “We are not for the death of Jews, Arabs, or any other race or group of people. We are for the dismantling of a violent military machine. A machine whose own soldiers were told to use ‘unnecessary lethal force’ against innocent civilians waiting for aid. A machine that has destroyed much of Gaza. We, like those in the spotlight before us, are not the story. We are a distraction from the story. And whatever sanctions we receive will be a distraction.”
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The decision to end the investigation comes months after Avon and Somerset authorities announced it was ending an investigation into similar comments at the same festival from the Irish trio Kneecap due to “insufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction for any offence.”
This story was updated 12/24/25 at 9:49 a.m. ET with a statement from Bob Vylan.