A British cabinet minister on Sunday strongly condemned chants of "death to the IDF" at the Glastonbury Festival, labeling them "appalling".
Speaking to Sky News, Health Secretary Wes Streeting expressed his dismay regarding the chants and said, "I thought it was appalling, to be honest and I think the BBC and Glastonbury have got questions to answer about how we saw such a spectacle on our screens." He further characterized the incident as a "shameless publicity stunt."
Streeting's condemnation was coupled with a pointed message to the Israeli embassy. "I'd also say to the Israeli embassy, get your own house in order, in terms of the conduct of your own citizens and the settlers in the West Bank," he asserted.
He continued, "I wish they'd take the violence of their own citizens towards Palestinians more seriously."
The chants, made by Bobby Vylan of the punk duo Bob Vylan during their Saturday set, are now under police investigation. Video footage shows one of the duo shouting the slogan, with some audience members joining in.
Glastonbury Festival issued a statement expressing its dismay, saying it was "appalled by the statements made from the West Holts stage by Bob Vylan yesterday. 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."
The Israeli embassy in the United Kingdom conveyed its deep concern, stating, "The Embassy of Israel in the United Kingdom is deeply disturbed by the inflammatory and hateful rhetoric expressed on stage at the Glastonbury Festival." The embassy added that such slogans "advocate for the dismantling of the State of Israel."
Conservative politician Helen Whately also voiced her shock at the footage, telling Sky News, "I was shocked to see some of the footage of that chanting of the crowd... I just think it's disgusting." She emphasized, "Yes, I believe in free speech, but that was incitement to violence. It was incitement to kill. That is not something that we support in this country."