A pair of musical performances at the United Kingdom's Glastonbury Festival have received backlash after promoting antisemitism during their acts.

London-based punk rap duo Bob Vylan and Northern Ireland's Kneecap both made headlines for their performances at the festival, which saw the musicians taking aim at the Israel Defense Forces and supporting Hamas and Hezbollah.

On Tuesday's episode of The Ezra Levant Show, freelance journalist David Atherton joined Ezra to reflect on the fallout from the two music groups.

The antisemitism espoused by Bob Vylan and Kneecap “is the state of political discourse on the BBC, in pop culture, in the music biz,” Ezra said, noting “all of that was applauded” — while Lucy Connolly, who posted and then deleted remarks critical of the Southport stabbing, was given 31 months in jail.

Chanting “death to the IDF” was bad enough, but it wasn't just antisemitism on display, added David, criticizing Bob Vylan for mocking those who want to maintain British culture. “That, to my mind, was equally as offensive” as the antisemitism, he said.

“You know they've done quite a bit wrong” when BBC was forced to apologize for the performance, David said.

Ezra pointed out that despite the backlash, in today's Internet age, both Bob Vylan and Kneecap have received more exposure than ever due to the controversy.

The performances also highlighted the delicate balance of free speech rights.

“I'm not sure if I would want the government to ban antisemitic comments,” Ezra said. Supporting a terrorist group, like Kneecap saying, "up with Hamas, up with Hezbollah,” might go beyond free speech limits, however. “I do still have free speech instincts, even for those who are vile,” he said.

David agreed, saying that the chants of “death to the IDF,” given it targets an entity and not an individual, “maybe should not be a prosecutable offence.”

“I think at the moment, the West is going through a spot of Stockholm syndrome,” David said. “Because there's large amounts of often aggressive, sometimes violent, Muslims in Europe, it seems the best way to appease them is to be anti-Israel and pro-Hamas.”

Westerners are supporting terror groups like Hamas “as a means of self-protection,” he continued. Meanwhile, the country is struggling with two-tier policing where British activists, like Tommy Robinson, are targeted frequently by the government.

Incidents like a Labour city councillor making a throat slashing gesture while criticizing his opponents or two Muslim brothers who brawled with police in a secure airport area — incidents that have been slower to prosecute compared to riots following the Southport stabbing — bring the issue to the forefront.

“The world is watching,” David said, “and we know full well that justice will not be served.”

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