British police have launched a criminal investigation into two performances at Glastonbury music festival after they led derogatory chanting about the Israeli military and Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

The police said they were investigating musician Bob Vylan and Irish rap band Kneecap’s for potential public order offences after reviewing video footage and audio from the performances on Saturday (local time).

Vylan’s set included on-stage chants of “death, death to the IDF”, a reference to the Israel Defence Forces war in the Gaza strip, while Kneecap led chants against Starmer and condemned Israel in front of a huge crowd.

“We have received a large amount of contact in relation to these events from people across the world and recognise the strength of public feeling. There is absolutely no place in society for hate,” the police said.

They said their investigation would consider all appropriate legislation, including relating to hate crimes.

Starmer has condemned the decision by public broadcaster the BBC to keep streaming Vylan’s set live. It is also under scrutiny by media regulator Ofcom.

“We have been speaking to the BBC over the weekend and we are obtaining further information as a matter of urgency, including what procedures were in place to ensure compliance with its own editorial guidelines,” an Ofcom statement said.

The BBC has said it regrets not pulling the live stream, and the group’s comments were “antisemitic” and “utterly unacceptable”.

“The team were dealing with a live situation but with hindsight we should have pulled the stream during the performance,” the BBC said. “We regret this did not happen.”

The broadcaster, which issued a warning on screen during the live stream, called Bobby Vylan’s comments “deeply offensive”.

“The BBC respects freedom of expression but stands firmly against incitement to violence,” it said, adding that it would look at its guidance around live events.

Elsewhere, the US State Department has said visas for members of Bob Vylan have been revoked.

“The State Department has revoked the US visas for the members of the Bob Vylan band in light of their hateful tirade at Glastonbury, including leading the crowd in death chants. Foreigners who glorify violence and hatred are not welcome visitors to our country,” US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said in a post on X on Monday.

Bob Vylan, which is known for mixing grime and punk rock, tackles a range of issues including racism, homophobia and the class divide in their songs and has previously voiced support for Palestinians.

Its lead vocalist, who goes by the stage name Bobby Vylan, appeared to refer to the weekend performance in a post on Instagram, writing: “I said what I said.”

“Teaching our children to speak up for the change they want and need is the only way that we make this world a better place,” he said.

The State Department did not immediately give more details as to the names of those who had visas revoked and what kind of visas they were.

Bob Vylan is scheduled to play concerts in the US in November.