Police say there is "insufficient" evidence for "a realistic prospect of conviction" over the performance at this year's Glastonbury Festival.

The rapper in punk duo Bob Vylan will not face further action over his “death death to the IDF” chants at Glastonbury Festival, police have said.

Rapper Bobby Vylan, real name is Pascal Robinson-Foster led crowds on the festival’s West Holts Stage in the chants about the Israel Defence Forces during the group’s performance in June.

Avon and Somerset Police said a criminal investigation was under way shortly afterwards, with a senior detective appointed to lead the investigation.

  • aesviation@lemmings.worldEnglish
    135·
    11 hours ago

    Any reason why this group of people gets so much more protection than others?

    We can criticize just about anyone, but when it comes to Jews it’s off-limits.

    I think that’s kind of unfair and bullshit. They shouldn’t have this power over us.

  • gasgiant@lemmy.mlEnglish
    61·
    1 day ago

    What I love is the wording of this. They said the case wasn’t moving forwards because of a “lack of evidence”. Not that there was no crime committed.

    The whole thing was filmed and broadcast on TV. Exactly what extra evidence was needed to bring this to court?

    Not a crime and should never have been treated as one. Complete waste of time and money.

    • phutatorius@lemmy.zipEnglish
      6·
      6 hours ago

      They said the case wasn’t moving forwards because of a “lack of evidence”. Not that there was no crime committed.

      Yeah, as you pointed out, the chant was done in a public place. So “lack of evidence” is a prosecutorial euphemism for “we have no case.”

    • chillhelm@lemmy.worldEnglish
      122·
      1 day ago

      Not familiar with the specific law in question, but for a lot of laws intent and knowledge at the time of crime matter. Eg the difference between manslaughter and murder is a difference in attitude.

      I could plausibly see that in this case there is not enough evidence to determine what the mind set was, while the physical action still undoubtedly took place.

      Eg in Germany showing the Nazi salute or displaying a swastika are illegal, except for artistic or educational purposes. A case could be constructed in which a defendants intent when showing either the gesture or the symbol could not be clearly deduced. This not enough evidence exists wether a crime was committed, even though the physical action that would constitute the crime undoubtedly happened.

      Could be a similar thing is at play here.

      • wewbull@feddit.ukEnglish
        10·
        13 hours ago

        Maybe, but I think the intent was quite clear here. Political statement of contempt towards the IDF. There was no sarcasm or irony. It wasn’t part of a song. He just led the crowd in a chant.

  • ArcaneSlime@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
    151·
    21 hours ago

    Me: Prosecute? Speech? You can’t, get fucked.

    Glastonbury

    Oh that sounds bri*ish as hell, makes sense, didn’t havea chant starting loicense.

    • defunct_punk@lemmy.worldEnglish
      1038·
      1 day ago

      Wow okay folx looks like Hitler survived and posts on Lemmy now. Don’t you know Germany killed six TRILLION Jews like 80 years ago?

      sigh this is what happens when we defund public education

      • mrdown@lemmy.worldEnglish
        281·
        1 day ago

        It is perfectly legal and moral to kill occupiers in the battle field who are currently comiting genocide. There is also muslims in the idf so it is not about genociding jews again

      • recentSlinky@lemmy.caEnglish
        232·
        1 day ago

        Who said anything about jews? They said idf. A known terroristic organisation. Just because it’s under a Jewish state doesn’t mean you should automatically associate them with all jews. That’s racist/antisemitic/discriminatory/etc. Do you also associate all Muslims with isis? All Americans with ice? That’s a messed up way to think. A small group’s action doesn’t represent everyone related to them. It only represent that group. And the idf is currently committing genocide.

        Also, calling for the death of a group is not the same as the death of the people. The idf should be dismantled and everyone involved and complicit should be prosecuted. So yes, death to the idf.

        Associating the action of the government of Israel to the jewish people is the most antisemitic thing people can do right now. And the fact that government is doing most of that should enrage you the most for flaring up that hate.

    • ameancow@lemmy.worldEnglish
      4·
      1 day ago

      WTF is happening with the world

      I think it’s the internet. Overexposure of information and stimulus about every conceivable issue, billions of voices and opinions and stray, intrusive thoughts fed directly into our eyeballs 24/7. It’s making people broadly lose track of reality or not really understand what’s actually important anymore.

      This has had the effect of allowing the worst voices to gain power because those voices get shared more, both out of pushback and condemnation as well as support from niche groups.

      Basically the information age is destabilizing society, the last couple decades have accelerated this process as capitalism has hijacked the entire system to algorithm advertising directly into your skull, so now attention spans are monetized and as a result, are being shortened further and further by competing forces.

      And it’s been seen over and over in history that times of uncertainty and destabilization often come with a broad retreat from the social contract and a breed a large-scale attraction to authoritarianism and selfish motivations. Likely a survival response buried deep inside us as a way to survive famine and hard times.

      Don’t worry, one way or another, it will end.