(In UK) Antisemitic Incidents Spike After Bob Vylan’s Glastonbury Chant, Charity Report

 

Antisemitic hate incidents in the UK surged following a controversial Glastonbury performance by punk duo Bob Vylan, according to new data from the Community Security Trust (CST). 

The CST, which monitors antisemitism, recorded 1,521 incidents in the first half of 2025 the second-highest six-month total in its history, though down 25% from the same period in 2024. The sharpest daily spike came on 29 June, the day after Bob Vylan’s set was livestreamed on BBC iPlayer. During the performance, frontman Pascal Robinson-Foster (aka Bobby Vylan) led a chant of “death to the IDF” and made inflammatory comments about Zionists and a former employer. 

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The CST said multiple reported incidents directly referenced that performance and their own social media condemnation of it. The performance prompted apologies from the BBC and Glastonbury, and is now the subject of a police investigation. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper called the persistently high levels of antisemitism “shameful”.

The CST said the incident highlights how rhetoric about Israel and Zionism continues to fuel anti-Jewish sentiment online and offline. In total, 51% of all reported antisemitic incidents in early 2025 referenced Israel, the Israel-Hamas conflict, or the 7 October 2023 Hamas attacks.

The second-worst day for anti-Jewish hate, according to the CST, was 17 May following Israel’s announcement of a new military operation in Gaza. Bob Vylan later clarified that their chant targeted the Israeli military, not Jewish people, stating they opposed all violence against any group. 

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However, the CST maintained that the language used contributed to an atmosphere of hostility toward Jewish communities. The organisation stressed that public discourse about Zionism and Israeli military actions continues to shape modern antisemitism. 

The UK government is under growing pressure to respond effectively, especially as the living Jewish community in Britain faces increasingly visible threats triggered by global and domestic political events