BBC Says It Should Have Pulled Coverage of Bob Vylan’s Controversial Glastonbury Set, Singer Says ‘I Said What I Said’

The BBC has said it should have cut away from a live broadcast of punk-rap duo Bob Vylan‘s performance at Glastonbury on Saturday (June 28). 

The band, whose two members go by Bobby Vylan and Bobbie Vylan, played on the West Holts stage over the weekend. They have since been mired in controversy, after vocalist and guitarist Bobby led crowds in a chant of “death, death to the IDF [Israel Defense Forces].”

Their set, which was directly before that of the Irish rap trio Kneecap on the West Holts stage, was shown live on the BBC’s live stream, but has since been removed from its iPlayer services. Glastonbury bosses have since said they were “appalled” by the comments, which “crossed a line.” 

In a statement issued on Monday morning, the BBC said: “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 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 news comes after broadcast regulator Ofcom said it had been in contact with the BBC over its coverage, while the British government questioned why the comments were aired live. 

A spokesperson for the former said: “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.”

Meanwhile, Avon and Somerset Police have said that the force will be investigating the performance to see if any offences have been committed.

Posting on Instagram on Sunday evening (June 29), Bobby told his fans that he had been “inundated” with a mixture of “support and hatred” since appearing at Glastonbury, but that he stood by what he said and is calling for “a change in foreign policy.”

In a lengthy statement captioned “I said what I said”, he wrote: “As I lay in bed this morning, my phone buzzing non stop, inundated with messages of both support and hatred, l listen to my daughter typing out loud as she fills out a school survey asking for her feedback on the current state of her school dinners.

“She expressed that she would like healthier meals, more options and dishes inspired by other parts of the world. Listening to her voice her opinions on a matter that she cares about and affects her daily, reminds me that we may not be doomed after all.”

Bobby continued: “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 possibly starts to 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.”

He concluded his statement: “Let us display to them loudly and visibly the right thing to do when we want and need change. Let them see us marching in the streets, campaigning on ground level, organising online and shouting about it on any and every stage that we are offered. Today it is a change in school dinners, tomorrow it is a change in foreign policy.”