UK Police Drop Charges Over ‘Death to IDF’ Chants at Glastonbury

British authorities have once again declined to take legal action over public chants of “Death to the IDF,” this time at the UK’s famed Glastonbury music festival. The inflammatory remarks were made by rap duo Bob Vylan and echoed by fans during their June performance yet police say the behavior does not meet the “criminal threshold.”

Avon and Somerset Police confirmed Tuesday that “no further action will be taken,” citing a lack of sufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction. The decision comes just weeks after the Metropolitan Police of London similarly closed its investigation into lead singer Pascal Robinson-Foster, known as Bobby Vylan, who had openly encouraged the chants from the stage.

Prosecutors reviewed the footage and considered multiple offenses but ultimately declined to proceed. The result has left many in the Jewish community and Israeli leadership stunned and frustrated.

Israel’s embassy in London called the ruling “deeply disappointing,” highlighting how calls for violence “repeated openly and without remorse” continue to go unpunished. The statement echoed growing concerns that blatant incitement against Israeli soldiers and by extension, Jews receives a pass in the UK’s public discourse.

Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel didn’t hold back in her response. “This is completely outrageous,” she wrote. “Is there any wonder the Islamist terrorist attacks in Manchester and Sydney cost the lives of so many Jews? What threshold wasn’t met? The U.K. police must wake up!”

The chants, delivered at one of the UK’s largest cultural events, weren’t obscure or misheard they were public, recorded, and shared widely on social media. For many, the failure to hold the performers accountable sends a dangerous message: that incitement against the Israeli military or Jews by association can be normalized, even celebrated, without consequence.

The IDF is not just a military institution; it’s the defense force for the Jewish state. Calls for its destruction go beyond policy disagreement they are a threat against the very right of Israel to defend itself. When those calls come from a public stage and are met with cheers instead of consequences, they embolden extremists and deepen the atmosphere of hostility toward Jews worldwide.

This is not about silencing speech it’s about recognizing incitement when it is shouted from a microphone to thousands. The law must protect free expression, but it must also protect the right of communities not to be targeted with threats disguised as slogans.

Now more than ever, Jewish communities need allies, not excuses.

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