The rapper says “I said what I said” as critics pile in
Bobby Vylan, frontman of punk duo Bob Vylan, has defended his Glastonbury performance after the band’s on-stage chants sparked national outrage.
The pair led a chant of “death to the IDF” during their set on Saturday, prompting widespread condemnation from politicians, broadcasters, and the festival itself.
But now, Bobby has fired back with a defiant message on Instagram – and he’s not backing down.
🎤 ‘I said what I said’ – Bobby Vylan responds
The BBC pulled the band’s set from iPlayer, Glastonbury organisers said it had “crossed a line”, and even Prime Minister Keir Starmer called it “appalling hate speech”.
But Bobby Vylan remains unapologetic.
Posting to Instagram, he wrote:
“I said what I said.
As I lay in bed this morning, my phone buzzing non stop, inundated with messages of both support and hatred, I listen to my daughter typing out loud as she fills out a school survey…”
He then reflected on her feedback about school meals and how it reminded him of the importance of teaching the next generation to speak up.
🔥 ‘Teach them to demand change’
The rapper used the moment to draw a parallel between school food and social justice.
“Teaching our children to speak up for the change they want and need is the only way we make this world a better place,” he wrote.
He added that while adults may lose their fire over time, it’s vital to pass the torch to younger generations and “display to them loudly and visibly the right thing”.
📣 From school dinners to foreign policy
Bobby finished with a powerful call to action:
“Let them see us marching in the streets, campaigning on ground level, organising online and shouting about it on any and every stage we are offered.
Today it is a change in school dinners, tomorrow it is a change in foreign policy.”
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