The BBC has acknowledged that it should have intervened and cut away from a live broadcast of Bob Vylan’s performance at Glastonbury, during which the band’s lead singer incited the crowd to chant “death, death to the IDF [Israel Defense Forces]”.
In a statement released on Monday, the BBC stated: “The production team was managing a live situation, but in retrospect, the stream should have been terminated during the performance. We regret that this action was not taken.”
This follows a statement from Ofcom, the broadcast regulator, indicating that the BBC “clearly has questions to answer” regarding its coverage, and inquiries from the government as to why the remarks were broadcast live.
Glastonbury organizers had previously expressed their “appall” at the comments, deeming them to have “crossed a line”.
On Monday, a BBC spokesperson affirmed: “The BBC 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,” the spokesperson continued.
The statement further noted: “In light of this weekend’s events, we will review our guidance concerning live events to ensure that teams are clear on when it is appropriate to remove output from the air.”
The BBC had previously stated that the performance included an on-screen warning and would not be available for viewing on iPlayer.
The controversy stems from comments made by Bob Vylan’s singer, known as Bobby Vylan, during their Saturday performance at the festival.
During the set, the singer also led chants of “free, free Palestine” and employed the phrase “from the river to sea, Palestine will be free.” This expression is viewed by some as a call for Palestinian control over all territory between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, encompassing Israel.
Critics argue that the slogan implies the destruction of the state of Israel.
However, pro-Palestinian activists dispute this interpretation, asserting that the majority of those chanting it are advocating for an end to Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and blockade of Gaza, rather than the annihilation of Israel itself.
On Monday, Ofcom confirmed it was in communication with the BBC, requesting clarification on why the comments were aired.
A spokesperson for the regulator stated: “We are very concerned about the live stream of this performance, and the BBC clearly has questions to answer.”
“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,” the spokesperson added.
Bob Vylan, a punk-rap duo from London, formed in Ipswich in 2017. They have previously performed at Reading and Leeds festivals and have toured with acts such as the Offspring, the Hives, and Biffy Clyro.
On Sunday, the singer released a statement on Instagram, accompanied by the message “I said what I said.”
In the statement, the singer defended political activism without directly referencing Saturday’s performance, writing that it is crucial for young people to witness campaigners “shouting… on any and every stage that we are offered.”
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has characterized the on-stage remarks as “hate speech,” and there has been widespread condemnation from across the political spectrum regarding both the chants and the BBC’s coverage of them.
Shortly after the performance, the government announced that Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy had contacted BBC Director General Tim Davie seeking an immediate explanation.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp suggested that police should investigate both Bob Vylan and the BBC “for offences under the Public Order Act,” adding that “prosecutions in my view should follow.”
Glastonbury’s organizers have similarly distanced themselves from Bob Vylan’s performance.
They stated: “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.”
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