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BBC released a statement expressing regret over its handling of the situation and confirmed it would review its guidelines for live events
Bob Vylan perform on the West Holts Stage, during the Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm in Somerset. England, Saturday, June 28, 2025. (AP photo)
The BBC on Monday said it “should have pulled” the livestream of rap duo Bob Vylan’s Glastonbury Festival set after the act led a crowd in chants including “death to the IDF”, referring to the Israel Defence Forces.
The remarks, made during the performance on Saturday, were widely condemned as antisemitic and led to intense criticism from the public, government officials, and media regulators.
The British broadcaster released a statement expressing regret over its handling of the situation and confirmed it would review its guidelines for live events.
“death, death, to the IDF”At Glastonbury…. This guy is wishing death on almost every single Israeli child… And he thinks he is clever.
We have seen his sort before. Palestinianism is just a new mutation of a genocidal virus. pic.twitter.com/AuhmYaS6an
— David Collier (@mishtal) June 28, 2025
BBC’s Statement
“Millions of people tuned in to enjoy Glastonbury this weekend across the BBC’s output but one performance within our livestreams included comments that were deeply offensive,” BBC wrote.
The BBC further said it 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 streamed live from the West Holts stage on BBC iPlayer. The broadcaster said it issued an on-screen warning about “very strong and discriminatory language” at the time. However, it admitted that with hindsight, it should have taken the stream down during the performance.
“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,” the statement continued.
UK PM Keir Starmer Condemns Act
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer strongly condemned the chant, calling it “appalling hate speech” and saying there was “no excuse” for it to be aired.
“The BBC needs to explain how these scenes came to be broadcast,” Starmer told reporters, adding that media platforms must take responsibility when it comes to broadcasting content that may incite hatred or violence.
Broadcast regulator Ofcom also weighed in, stating it was “very concerned” about the incident and expected the BBC to fully review how the situation unfolded.
The Israeli Embassy in the UK said it was “deeply disturbed by the inflammatory and hateful rhetoric expressed on stage” and called for accountability from those responsible.
Who Are Bob Vylan And What Is The Row About?
Bob Vylan is a London-based rap-punk duo formed in 2017, known for fusing grime, punk, and politically charged lyrics. Their music often tackles themes such as racism, masculinity, and social inequality. The group’s members have kept their real names private for personal safety.
The row erupted after lead singer Bobby Vylan chanted “free, free Palestine” and “death, death to the IDF” during their Glastonbury set. Critics, including Jewish groups and government officials, labelled the latter phrase as incitement to violence and antisemitic.
In a statement on social media after the performance, Bobby Vylan defended his words, saying: “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.”
British police have said they are reviewing footage from the performance to determine if any laws were broken.
Kneecap Controversy
Bob Vylan’s set was followed by Irish-language rap group Kneecap, another act that has been involved in political controversy. One member of the group is facing charges under the UK’s Terrorism Act after allegedly waving a Hezbollah flag — a banned symbol in the UK — during a past performance.
At Glastonbury, Kneecap also led large sections of the crowd in chanting “Free Palestine”, echoing the political tone of the performances that afternoon.
War In Gaza
The controversy takes place amid intense global scrutiny of Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Gaza, which began after a Hamas attack on Israel in October 2023. That attack killed more than 1,200 people. In response, Israeli airstrikes and ground operations have killed more than 56,000 people in Gaza, according to figures from the Hamas-run Health Ministry.
The number includes many women and children, although Israel says it targets militants and blames civilian casualties on Hamas using human shields.
The war has sparked widespread pro-Palestinian protests in major cities and on university campuses, particularly in Western countries. Critics say Israel’s actions amount to war crimes, while pro-Israel voices argue the protests cross into antisemitism.
(With inputs from AP)
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