No further action to be taken in KNEECAP Glastonbury investigation

In a post on X today, KNEECAP has shared an email stating that no further action is to be taken in the investigation into the band's Glastonbury performance.

At the June festival, KNEECAP led a 'fuck Keir Starmer' chant in response to the UK Prime Minister's vocal opposition to their presence at the festival, as well as chants in support of Palestine. Their set was not broadcast live on the BBC due to editorial concerns around impartiality. Punk rap duo Bob Vylan, whose set was broadcast, led a chant of “death, death to the IDF" in reference to the Israel Defence Forces.

As a result, the Avon and Somerset Police publicly announced that they had launched a criminal investigation into video and audio of both artists' sets.

The band said that the investigation had no legal basis, and was instead a targetted attack on the band for their activism.

"Every single person who saw our set knew no law was broken, not even close....yet the police saw fit to publicly announce they were opening an investigation," they wrote.

"Why open and publicise an investigation into fuck all? This is political. This is targetted. This is state intimidation."

They also noted that while the launch of the investigation was widely publicised, the end of the investigation was only shared in a private email.

"After the media damage is inflicted and seen by millions of eyes - you receive a private email to say there's no evidence and no action - that is seen by two people only," the post read.

"There is no public apology, they don't send this to media or post it on police accounts."

One element of the political policing intimidation attempt is over.

We played a historic set at Glastonbury. Whole area closed an hour before due to crowds. A celebration of love and solidarity. A sea of good people at the world's most famous festival.

Shortly afterwards we… pic.twitter.com/S0BsMeOM83

— KNEECAP (@KNEECAPCEOL) July 18, 2025

Around one hour after KNEECAP's post, the Avon and Somerset Police posted their own announcement on X.

The post reiterated that their investigation into KNEECAP's Glastonbury set will not continue, but that "enquiries continue to be carried out into separate comments made on stage during Bob Vylan’s performance."

The post linked to a full statement on the police's website, which added that local detectives "sought advice from the Crown Prosecution Service" during the investigation, and that advice led them to their decision to drop the inquiry.

"Kneecap was informed of that decision earlier today," the statement read.

Today we informed Kneecap no further action will be taken after an investigation into comments made at Glastonbury Festival.

Enquiries continue to be carried out into separate comments made on stage during Bob Vylan’s performance.

Full statement 🔽 https://t.co/tZecsjM0GF

— Avon and Somerset Police (@ASPolice) July 18, 2025

Bob Vylan, whose investigation continues, has recently come under fire from former Blur frontman Damon Albarn. In an interview with the UK Times, Albarn called Bob Vylan's Glastonbury set "one of the most spectacular misfires I've seen."

In response, Bob Vylan took to X yesterday with a post "for any other out of touch 90s musician" asked about their Glastonbury performance. They listed a series of statistics describing the brutality faced by Palestinians under Israel's occupation.

"Genocide is being live streamed for all to see and the UK is not simply allowing it to continue but facilitating it, along with the United States," the post read.

"Why are we talking about a punk band?"

While KNEECAP's Glastonbury investigation has ended, band member Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, known as Mo Chara, still faces charges for allegedly displaying a Hezbollah flag during a London concert in November 2024.

KNEECAP argued that these charges, like the investigation, are politically motivated due to their outspoken activism for Gaza.

The news comes after KNEECAP joined Fontaines D.C., Massive Attack and Brian Eno in announcing the formation of an alliance for artists speaking out for Gaza. On Instagram posts from the musicians, they said "aggressive, vexatious campaigns" had been launched against pro-Palestine musicians, notably by UK Lawyers For Israel Ltd. (UKFLI).