In the aftermath of Bob Vylan‘s controversial Glastonbury performance, the BBC denounced the duo. “We deeply regret that such offensive and deplorable behaviour appeared on the BBC,” the broadcaster said in a formal apology earlier this month, referring to their “Free, free Palestine” and “Death, death to the IDF” chants. More than two weeks after the set streamed live online, BBC has acknowledged that their team members on the ground at the event could have cut the livestream, but ultimately didn’t.
“There were individuals present at Glastonbury who had the authority to cut the livestream after appropriate consideration,” BBC Director General Tim Davie said, per Deadline. “Those individuals had access to advice and support offsite should they have considered it necessary. What we can say is that cutting the livestream was an option open to those on the ground on the day.”
Davie did not disclose why that decision was not made, despite deciding two weeks out from the festival not to air the set from Irish rap trio Kneecap during the same weekend. He stated that Bob Vylan were similarly considered high risk performers at the time. The new statement from the general doesn’t provide much context to previous responses from BBC, including one in which they called the decision to not cut the stream “an error.”
“A decision was taken that compliance risks could be mitigated in real time on the live stream — through the use of language or content warnings — without the need for a delay,” BBC said in a previous statement. “This was clearly not the case. During the performance, the livestream was monitored in line with the agreed compliance protocols and a number of issues were escalated. Warnings appeared on the stream on two occasions and the editorial team took the decision not to cut the feed. This was an error.”
In September, BBC will publish new editorial guidelines for live events. The revision was underway prior to Glastonbury, Davie said, but will be “reviewed further in light of these events and any changes.”
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In the meantime, Bob Vylan have already made their return to the stage. During a performance at London’s 100 Club, the audience led their own “Death to the IDF” chant. Frontman Bobby Vylan quickly redirected them to chant “Free, free Palestine,” instead.
“I’m gonna try and keep my talking to a minimum today, because that’s what got us in trouble in the first place,” Vylan said. “I am pretty tired. It’s been a busy week, been a busy couple of days. Just putting out fires, you know? We never ever could have imagined that we would create a conversation that needed to be created and needed to be had.”
He added: “We just want to see the liberation of the Palestinian people. That’s it. I don’t think it’s too crazy a thing to ask. I don’t think it’s a violent thing to ask, right? The liberation of the Palestinian people from a tyrannical fucking oppressor. That’s all we want. Each and every single time, they will not fucking silence us.”
In the immediate aftermath of their Glastonbury set, Bob Vylan reiterated their stance in the face of their “Death to the IDF” chant being immediately equated to antisemitism. “We are not for the death of Jews, Arabs or any other race or group of people. We are for the dismantling of a violent military machine,” the duo said on Instagram. “A machine whose own soldiers were told to use ‘unnecessary lethal force’ against innocent civilians waiting for aid. A machine that has destroyed much of Gaza. We, like those in the spotlight before us, are not the story. We are a distraction from the story. And whatever sanctions we receive will be a distraction.”
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According to the Gaza Health Ministry, more than 58,000 people have been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 2023. More than 127,000 have been wounded.
