U.K. police have ended their criminal investigation into Bob Vylan over comments the punk duo made on stage about the Israeli military.
“We have concluded, after reviewing all the evidence, that it does not meet the criminal threshold outlined by the [Crown Prosecution Service] for any person to be prosecuted,” the Avon and Somerset Police said in a statement. “No further action will be taken on the basis there is insufficient evidence for there to be a realistic prospect of conviction.”
In June, Bob Vylan’s frontman, who goes by Bobby Vylan, led fans at Glastonbury in a chant of “Death, death to the IDF.” “Sometimes we have to get our message across with violence because that’s the only language some people speak, unfortunately,” he later told the crowd, while an on-stage backdrop read messages such as “United Nations have called it a genocide. The BBC calls it a ‘conflict.’” Bobby’s comments led to immediate criticism from Glastonbury organizers, the BBC, and British prime minster Keir Starmer. The duo were also dropped by United Talent Agency and had their U.S. visas revoked.
Longtime supporters of the Free Palestine movement, Bob Vylan have frequently criticized Israel’s assault on Gaza and the West Bank. The duo later defended their actions at Glastonbury in a statement, writing, “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.”
In July, U.K. police announced it was dropping an investigation of Irish rap trio Kneecap following similar comments they made at Glastonbury.