Bob Vylan to sue BBC over Glastonbury coverage: “We had no choice but to take on this fight”
Bob Vylan have confirmed they are pursuing legal action over the BBC’s coverage of their performance at Glastonbury Festival.
The punk duo were investigated by Avon and Somerset Police following their performance at the festival on June 28th, 2025. However, it was confirmed last December that they would face no charges.
Notably, during the performance, lead singer Bobby Vylan led the crowd through a chant of “Death to the IDF,” in reference to the Israeli Defence Force.
In the immediate aftermath, the BBC said in an official statement that “antisemitic sentiments expressed by Bob Vylan were utterly unacceptable and have no place on our airwaves” and they “deeply regret that such offensive and deplorable behaviour appeared on the BBC”.
Additionally, BBC director general Tim Davie, who has since left his role at the corporation, described their set as “an antisemitic broadcast”, and said that the BBC made “a very significant mistake” in showing the performance on iPlayer.
Bob Vylan have strongly denied the antisemitic accusations, writing on X in response to Davie’s prior comments, “Tim Davie is a spineless puppet. There was nothing antisemitic or criminal about anything I said at Glastonbury.”
Now, on July 3rd, the duo have taken to Instagram to confirm they are pursuing legal action against the broadcaster for defamation, writing, “We have decided to take legal action against the BBC. In the immediate aftermath of our performance at Glastonbury 2025, The BBC wasted no time in placing labels upon us that did not, do not and never will fit.”
They added, “As a corporation that receives the majority of its funding from the public, it has disappointingly continued to prove how little it represents the interests of the people and our access to unbiased news and information.”
Bob Vylan then accused the broadcaster of having “attempted to silence those that oppose the heinous crimes taking place in Palestine, instead labelling them as anti-semitic, editing their speeches, removing their content and even blocking the release of documentaries that challenge the desired narrative of The BBC and its top brass.”
Their statement concluded, “These responses are unacceptable. So seeing the opportunity to remind them the power of the people that they are attempting to silence, we had no choice but to take on this fight. In fact, we take great pleasure in serving them that reminder in court. Free Palestine and Justice for the Filton 25.”
The BBC has not publicly responded to the lawsuit.
Last year, they similarly launched a defamation case against Irish broadcaster RTÉ, seeking damages relating to a report that allegedly claimed the band led “anti-Semitic chants” during their appearance at Glastonbury.
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