By Billy Stockwell, CNN

London (CNN) — British police are reviewing video footage of rap punk duo Bob Vylan’s Glastonbury set after one of the artists led chants slammed by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer as “appalling hate speech.”

Rapper Bobby Vylan took to the festival’s third-biggest West Holts Stage on Saturday shouting “Free, free Palestine,” before leading crowds to chants against the Israeli military.

Video showed the rapper shouting into the mic, “Alright, but have you heard this one though? Death, death to the IDF (Israel Defense Forces).”

The artist also performed in front of a screen that displayed a message which read: “United Nations have called it a genocide. The BBC calls it a ‘conflict,’” referring to the UK’s public broadcaster that has been showing the festival live.

Starmer said that “there is no excuse for this kind of appalling hate speech.”

The Israeli Embassy in the UK said it was “deeply disturbed” by what it called “inflammatory and hateful” rhetoric at the festival.

It said that when chants such as “Death to the IDF” are said in front of tens of thousands of festivalgoers, “it raises serious concerns about the normalisation of extremist language and the glorification of violence.”

“We call on Glastonbury Festival organisers, artists, and public leaders in the UK to denounce this rhetoric and reject of all forms of hatred,” it added.

Glastonbury Festival said in a statement that it was “appalled” by Vylan’s remarks.

“Their chants very much crossed a line and we are urgently reminding everyone involved in the production of the festival that there is no place at Glastonbury for antisemitism, hate speech or incitement to violence,” organizers said.

A BBC spokesperson told CNN Sunday that some of the comments made during Vylan’s performance were “deeply offensive.” The broadcaster streamed the rapper’s set live but said it had no plans to make the performance available on demand through its iPlayer streaming platform.

On Monday, the BBC admitted that “with hindsight” Vylan’s performance should have been pulled from air during the performance, saying that the corporation “respects freedom of expression but stands firmly against incitement to violence.”

“The antisemitic sentiments expressed by Bob Vylan were utterly unacceptable and have no place on our airwaves,” it added.

CNN has contacted Vylan for comment.

Police are also reviewing video footage of a performance by Irish-language hip-hop trio Kneecap, who performed on the same stage Saturday afternoon. After the performance, Starmer repeated his assertion that the group should not have been allowed to perform at the festival.

“I said that Kneecap should not be given a platform and that goes for any other performers making threats or inciting violence,” Starmer said in a statement.

Ahead of the five-day music festival, all eyes were on Kneecap after band member Liam O’Hanna – who performs under the stage name Mo Chara – was charged last month with a terrorism offense following an investigation by London’s Metropolitan Police.

The charge, which he has denied, relates to a London gig in November 2024 where he allegedly displayed a flag of Hezbollah – a proscribed terrorist organization banned under UK law. Ahead of the festival at Worthy Farm, Starmer said it was not “appropriate” for the group to perform.

Kneecap have been vocal critics of Israel’s war in Gaza but have previously said it has never supported Hamas or Hezbollah.

During the set, Chara told the crowds that recent events had been “stressful” but that it was nothing in comparison to “what the Palestinian people are going through.”

Kneecap rapper Naoise Ó Cairealláin, who goes by the stage name Móglaí Bap, hit back at Starmer’s comment during Saturday’s set: “The Prime Minister of your country, not mine, said he didn’t want us to play, so f**k Keir Starmer.”

In reference to his bandmate’s forthcoming court date, Bap also said they would “start a riot outside the courts,” before adding: “I don’t want anybody to start a riot. No riots just love and support, and more importantly support for Palestine.”

Police in Somerset, where the festival is held, said the force was “aware of the comments made by acts” and that “video evidence will be assessed by officers to determine whether any offences may have been committed that would require a criminal investigation.”

UK Health Secretary Wes Streeting slammed Vylan’s performance as “appalling” in an interview with Sky News on Sunday morning, adding that the BBC and Glastonbury “have got questions to answer.”

But he also told the Israeli embassy to “get your own house in order in terms of the conduct of your own citizens and the settlers in the West Bank,” as settler violence against Palestinians surged in the occupied territory over the last week.

This story has been updated with additional details.

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