Glastonbury says chants by Bob Vylan ‘crossed the line’
The BBC is facing fresh calls for the licence fee to be ditched after a row over Glastonbury coverage. Frontman Bobby Vylan of rap punk duo Bob Vylan sparked outrage after leading crowds at the festival’s West Holts Stage in chants of “death, death to the IDF” on Saturday.
Following intense fury, the national broadcaster said on Monday that it regretted not pulling the live stream of the performance. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer criticised the chants as “appalling hate speech”. MPs, including Tory Matt Vickers and independent Rupert Lowe, have demanded that the licence fee be axed in the wake of the row.
Bobby Vylan has sparked widespread condemnation over the chants (Image: Getty)
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Meanwhile, broadcasting regulator Ofcom said it was “very concerned” about the live stream.
In a statement, the BBC said: “Millions of people tuned in to enjoy Glastonbury this weekend across the BBC’s output, but one performance within our live streams included comments that were deeply offensive. 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. We welcome Glastonbury’s condemnation of the performance.
“The performance was part of a live stream of the West Holts stage on BBC iPlayer.
“The judgement on Saturday to issue a warning on screen while streaming online was in line with our editorial guidelines.
“In addition, we took the decision not to make the performance available on demand. The team were dealing with a live situation, but with hindsight we should have pulled the stream during the performance. We regret this did not happen.”
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Avon and Somerset Police said at the weekend that it is assessing videos of comments made by Bob Vylan at Glastonbury and will decide whether any offences have been committed.
Glastonbury Festival also condemned the chants, saying in a statement on Sunday that organisers were “appalled by the statements” made on stage.
In a statement posted to Instagram, the rapper 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.
“As we grow older and our fire starts to possibly dim under the suffocation of adult life and all its responsibilities, it is incredibly important that we encourage and inspire future generations to pick up the torch that was passed to us.”
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1st Most liked comment • 12 hours ago23
“Should be axed anyways. Licence payers are watching programmes that were made in 2010,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23, and 24 …”
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“Starmer, Cooper, Rayner and Hermer (AG) have made clear statements on upholding the …”
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