BBC says it should have pulled Bob Vylan’s Glastonbury livestream over ‘antisemitic’ chants

LONDON (AP) — The BBC said Monday it should have pulled a livestream of rap duo Bob Vylan’s performance at the Glastonbury Festival, which saw the group leading crowds of music fans in chants calling for “death” to the Israeli military.

The British broadcaster called the chants “antisemitic” and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said there was no excuse for such “appalling hate speech.”

The BBC has come under heavy criticism for broadcasting the rap punk duo’s performance Saturday, when rapper Bobby Vylan led crowds attending the U.K.’s largest summer music festival in chants of “free, free Palestine” and “death, death to the IDF,” the Israel Defense Forces.

The BBC said Monday that 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,” it said.

Starmer said the BBC must explain “how these scenes came to be broadcast.”

Ofcom, the broadcasting regulator, said it was “very concerned” about the BBC livestream and said the broadcaster “clearly has questions to answer.”

The BBC said earlier in its defense that it had issued a warning on screen about “very strong and discriminatory language” during the livestream.

The Israeli Embassy to the U.K. said over the weekend it was “deeply disturbed by the inflammatory and hateful rhetoric expressed on stage at the Glastonbury Festival.”

Bob Vylan, which formed in 2017, have released four albums mixing punk, grime and other styles with lyrics that often address issues including racism, masculinity and politics. Its two members both keep their real names secret for privacy reasons.

In a statement posted on social media, singer Bobby Vylan said he was 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 wrote.

Police said they were aware of comments made by acts at the festival and officers will review video evidence to determine if any offenses have been committed.

The duo played Saturday afternoon right before Irish-language rap group Kneecap, another band that has drawn controversy over its stance on Middle East politics. One of its members was charged under the Terrorism Act with supporting a proscribed organization after he allegedly waved a Hezbollah flag at a concert.

Kneecap led a huge crowd in chants of “Free Palestine” at the festival.

The acts were among among 4,000 that performed in front of some 200,000 music fans this year at the Glastonbury Festival in southwest England.

Israel has faced heavy international criticism for its war conduct in Gaza. In May, the U.K., France and Canada issued a sharply worded statement calling for Israel to stop its “egregious” military actions in Gaza and criticizing Israel’s actions in the occupied West Bank.

The war has inflamed tensions around the world, triggering pro-Palestinian protests in many capitals and college campuses. Israel and its supporters say the protests are antisemitic, while critics say Israel uses such descriptions to silence opponents.

More than 6,000 people have been killed and more than 20,000 injured in Gaza since a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas collapsed in March. Since the war began in October 2023 with a Hamas attack on Israel, Israeli attacks have killed more than 56,000 people and injured 132,000, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

It doesn’t distinguish between civilians and combatants, but has said that women and children make up more than half the 56,000 dead. Israel says it only targets militants and blames civilian deaths on Hamas, accusing the militants of hiding among civilians, because they operate in populated areas.