Police have said they are investigating chants of “death to the IDF” from Bob Vylan frontman Bobby Vylan at a protest in London.
As reported by the BBC, the Metropolitan Police said earlier today (March 15) that they were “aware of chanting made by a speaker at the Al Quds protest and will be investigating”.
Hundreds of people attended static protests in central London on Sunday, with many in attendance said to have been waving Iranian flags and holding placards. The event was held in celebration of Al-Quds Day, an annual pro-Palestinian event that is commonly held on the final day of Ramadan.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood formally banned the Al-Quds Day march organised by the Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC) after a request from the Met Police cited a high risk of “serious public disorder” due to ongoing tensions in the Middle East.
Videos on social media appeared to show Vylan – real name Pascal Robinson-Foster – making a speech at the protest, before leading the crowd in the “death, death to the IDF [Israeli Defence Forces]” chant.
British punk-rap duo Bob Vylan leads “Death to the IDF” chants at London’s Al-Quds Day rally, today. pic.twitter.com/L4vIRi1D7I
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) March 15, 2026
Police also confirmed that 12 people were arrested during the demonstration and its accompanying counter-protest, for showing support for a proscribed organisation, affray, dangerous driving and threatening or abusive behaviour.
“We recognise the concern footage and chanting like this causes, particularly with London’s Jewish communities,” the Met added. “When this language had been used previously, we sought advice from the CPS, who determined that there would be insufficient evidence to take a case forward.”
Bob Vylan made headlines for their performance on the West Holts Stage at Glastonbury 2025, when the frontman led the audience in chants of “death, death to the IDF”. That performance was later subject to a criminal investigation from Avon and Somerset Police that was ultimately dropped in December.
“We have concluded, after reviewing all the evidence, that it does not meet the criminal threshold outlined by the CPS for any person to be prosecuted,” the force said in a statement. “No further action will be taken on the basis there is insufficient evidential for there to be a realistic prospect of conviction.”
As part of their enquiries into the chants, police said they conducted “a voluntary police interview under caution” with a man in his mid-30s in November.
Officers said they also spoke to “approximately 200” members of the public to see if they had been the victim of a criminal offence.
The statement added that the force had also sought legal precedents from other UK police forces that have dealt with similar incidents, as well as advice from the National Police Chiefs’ Council hate crime leads, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and “an independent barrister”.
In a response, Bobby Vylan said the investigation was “never warranted” as the Glastonbury set was “evidently not hateful” but rather “a display of solidarity with the Palestinian people”.
The Metropolitan police also said in November they would close their own investigation into a Bob Vylan gig from May at Alexandra Palace in north London, after advice from the CPS.
Shortly after Glastonbury, Bob Vylan said they were not calling for “the death of Jews or Arabs or any other race or group” at Glastonbury. Bobby Vylan also explained in October that he was “not regretful” of his remarks at the festival, adding: “I’d do it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays. I’m not regretful of it at all.”
After the Glastonbury set, Bob Vylan had multiple international shows cancelled, and their US visas were revoked ahead of a tour in the country. Two UK gigs, in Manchester and Leeds, were also been postponed, “due to political pressure” from MPs and Jewish leaders.
