BBC regrets not cutting 'antisemitic' Bob Vylan Glastonbury live stream

Britain's BBC said on Monday it regretted not stopping the live stream of Bob Vylan's set at Glastonbury music festival after a member of the punk-rap duo led what the broadcaster called antisemitic chants against Israel's military.

Saturday's set included onstage chants of “death, death to the IDF”, a reference to the Israel Defence Forces fighting a war in Gaza, and “From the river to the sea, Palestine must be, will be, inshallah, it will be free”.

The national broadcaster's decision to keep the set streaming live was condemned by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and drew scrutiny from media regulator Ofcom.

“From the river to the sea” is a hotly disputed phrase in Israel, often taken as a call for Israel's destruction and a denial of its right to exist, though many Palestinians dispute that.

The BBC, which broadcasts the festival in southwest England, issued a warning on screen for strong and discriminatory language while the set was being streamed online, but said on Monday it should have gone further.

“The antisemitic sentiments expressed by Bob Vylan were utterly unacceptable and have no place on our airwaves,” the BBC said in a statement.

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

The rap duo's lead vocalist, who also goes by the stage name Bobby Vylan, wrote on Instagram: “I said what I said,” adding he had been “inundated with messages of both support and hatred”.

“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 in the post, apparently in reference to the incident.

Bob Vylan, known for their mix of grime and punk rock, have been outspoken about their support for Palestinians in the past. Their songs tackle a range of issues including racism, homophobia and the class divide.

The BBC said it would look at its guidance around live events so that in future its teams were clear on what is acceptable content to be shown.

Earlier on Monday, Ofcom said it was “very concerned” about the BBC's live stream of the performance and that it “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,” an Ofcom spokesperson said via email.

Police have said they were considering whether to launch an investigation, but did not name Bob Vylan or Irish rap band Kneecap, who also performed at Glastonbury and criticised Israel.

The Israeli embassy in London also condemned the incident, while Starmer demanded answers from the BBC on “how these scenes came to be broadcast”.

Political statements by musicians on stage have been in focus since a member of Kneecap was charged last month with a terrorism offence for allegedly displaying a flag of Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed militant group that is proscribed as a terrorist organisation in Britain. He denies the offence.

Reuters