EXCLUSIVE Calls to drop punk duo Bob Vylan from popular music festival line-up as worried parents say they will stop their children attending after 'death to IDF' chant at Glastonbury

Daily Mail​

04-07-2025

Calls are growing for punk duo Bob Vylan to be dropped from a seaside music festival attracting 60,000 spectators and which last year saw people injured in a crowd surge.
The group are facing a police probe after their performance at Glastonbury last weekend in which their frontman led chants of 'Death to the IDF' and 'Free Palestine '.
They have since been dropped from the bill at upcoming music festivals in Manchester and France, as well as a scheduled gig in Germany.
But they remain on the line-up for next month's annual five-day Boardmasters surfing and music festival in the Cornwall resort of Newquay.
Bob Vylan are due to take the stage on the event's closing day, Saturday 10 August, as part of that day's line-up also including the Prodigy, London Grammar, Wet Leg, Franz Ferdinand and Natasha Bedingfield.
Online calls have been made for Boardmasters organisers to prevent them from performing - while worried parents told MailOnline about their concerns for youngsters attending the festival and preference for them to stay away, while similar complaints have been shared on the festival's social media pages.
A Cornish branch of Reform UK posted on Facebook: 'Bob Vylan's presence at Boardmasters threatens to tarnish our festival's spirit, turning a celebration of music into a platform for his divisive agenda.
'We cannot allow this to happen in our home, where our children dance, our communities unite and our values shine.
'Join us in demanding that Boardmasters remove Bob Vylan from the 2025 line-up.
'Cornwall deserves better than hate. Let's protect our festival, our values and our proud Cornish spirit. Together, we can keep Watergate Bay a place of joy, not division.'
The calls come as the BBC 's head of music has stepped back from her role after the corporation admitted that punk duo Bob Vylan were assessed as 'high risk' before their performance at Glastonbury - and yet still allowed on air.
Lorna Clarke is among a small number of senior staff who have temporarily withdrawn from their day-to-day duties covering music and live events, it emerged today.
Clarke, who is on an annual salary of £215,000, was stood down so she could focus on the investigation into why the BBC failed to cut the feed during Bob Vylan's appearance, the Times reported.
It comes after the corporation has faced a furious backlash following last Sunday's set that included the duo's frontman calling out 'Death to the IDF' and 'Free Palestine'.
The performance at the West Holts Stage last weekend was livestreamed but the organisation later expressed regret for not stopping its broadcast of the set.
The corporation yesterday revealed it has told 'a small number of senior staff' to step back from their day-to-day duties on music and live events, the BBC said.
And the broadcaster's director general Tim Davie - who was attending the festival in Somerset - issued a personal apology.
Now an anxious father Chris, from Cheltenham, has told of his fears for his daughters who are among a group of 12 teenagers aged 16 planning to be there at Boardmasters.
At the same festival last year seven people had to be taken to hospital after a crowd surge during DJ and producer Sammy Virji's performance on The Point stage.
His performance had to be called off following the mayhem, after which he said on Instagram: 'I'm incredibly gutted about the stage cancellation for Boardmasters, whilst I'm absolutely honoured at the amount of people who turned up, crowd surges can be very serious and safety should always come first.
'The stoppage was completely out of my hands and hope you all understand the festival needed to prioritise everyone's wellbeing. Hopefully catch you all soon at another set.'
The concerned father Chris, who has daughters aged 18 and 16, has now raised alarm that similar could happen at this year's Boardmasters - while also claiming Bob Vylan are inappropriate performers for the festival.
He told MailOnline: 'The Boardmasters Festival still has Bob Vylan on their set list.
'They're the only British venue who haven't cancelled them and their crowd is probably the youngest - and most impressionable? - of any of the bigger festivals.
'I've got a vested interest - my daughters are part of a group of 12 16-year-olds going and I'm not keen on them attending if they're still on.
'There's a safety aspect too - there was a serious crowd surge last year and it'll likely be worse as Bob Vylan actively encourage that of their audience.
'I think that Bob Vylan's rhetoric is dangerous and extreme and I believe this is in the wider public interest. I'm no party pooper and I'm a great supporter of free speech, but I'm not happy about my girls going to an event featuring a band such as this.'
MailOnline has approached Boardmasters festival organisers for comment.
Bob Vylan had been due to headline the Radar Festival at Victoria Warehouse in Manchester this Saturday but have now been dropped from that slot.
Organisers said in a statement shared on Facebook: 'Bob Vylan will not be appearing at Radar Festival this weekend.'
The duo were also due to play at French festival Kave Fest on Sunday - yet organisers told the BBC they would no longer be doing so.
And German venue Live Music Hall, in Cologne, said Bob Vylan would not now be opening for US group Gogol Bordello at a concert scheduled for September.
BBC boss Tim Davie (pictured) has faced calls to quit after it emerged he was at Glastonbury on the day of Bob Vylan's broadcast performance at the festival in Somerset
Bob Vylan responded to the Radar Festival announcement by posting on Instagram: 'Silence is not an option. We will be fine, the people of Palestine are hurting. Manchester, we will be back.'
Bob Vylan's singer refers to himself as Bobby Vylan while the drummer goes by Bobbie Vylan although their real names are, respectively, Pascal Robinson-Foster and Wade Laurence George.
Avon and Somerset Police said on Monday it had launched a probe into the performance after reviewing video footage and audio recordings.
The force said the appearance was 'recorded as a public order incident at this time while our inquiries are at an early stage'.
It has since emerged that the group were already under investigation by police for comments made at a concert one month before Glastonbury.
Video footage appears to show Bobby Vylan at Alexandra Palace in north London telling crowds: 'Death to every single IDF soldier out there as an agent of terror for Israel. Death to the IDF.'
The rap group issued a statement on Tuesday claiming they were being 'targeted for speaking up' after Avon and Somerset police began its investigation.
The BBC has been widely criticised for continuing to livestream the performance on iPlayer with on-screen warnings about discriminatory language.
In its latest statement on the controversy, the BBC said: 'We fully understand the strength of feeling regarding Bob Vylan's live appearance at Glastonbury on the BBC.
'We deeply regret that such offensive and deplorable behaviour appeared on the BBC and want to apologise to our viewers and listeners and in particular the Jewish community.
We are also unequivocal that there can be no place for antisemitism at, or on, the BBC.
'It is clear that errors were made both in the lead-up to and during Bob Vylan's appearance. We think it's important to set out some of the detail around the streaming of this performance.
'Bob Vylan were deemed high risk following a risk assessment process applied to all acts appearing at Glastonbury.
'Seven acts including Bob Vylan were included in this category and they were all deemed suitable for live streaming with appropriate mitigations.
'Prior to Glastonbury, 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. This was clearly not the case.
'During the performance, the live stream 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.'
The BBC said that from now on music performances deemed high risk would not be broadcast live or streamed live.
The statement went on: 'The Director-General was subsequently made aware of what had happened and instructed the team that none of the performance should feature in further coverage.
'The team prioritised stopping the performance from featuring on demand. This meant that no downloads of Bob Vylan's set were available on iPlayer or Sounds.
'However, the live feed, which was showing subsequent performances from other acts on the same Glastonbury stage, remained up until it was amended shortly after 8pm while teams worked on a technical solution.
'Given the failings that have been acknowledged we are taking actions to ensure proper accountability for those found to be responsible for those failings in the live broadcast. We will not comment further on those processes at this time.
'Furthermore, as a result we will make immediate changes to live streaming music events.
'Any music performances deemed high risk will now not be broadcast live or streamed live.
'Editorial Policy support will always be available on site at major music festivals and events, to improve compliance processes and the speed of available advice - and we will provide more detailed, practical guidance on the threshold for withdrawing a live stream.'
BBC chair Samir Shah said in a statement: 'I'd like first of all to apologise to all our viewers and listeners and particularly the Jewish community for allowing the "artist" Bob Vylan to express unconscionable antisemitic views live on the BBC.
'This was unquestionably an error of judgement. I was very pleased to note that as soon as this came to the notice of Tim Davie - who was on the Glastonbury site at the time visiting BBC staff - he took immediate action and instructed the team to withdraw the performance from on demand coverage.
'The BBC Board met on Tuesday to hear what actions will now be taken. The Executive have agreed to put in place a set of strengthened editorial practices and policies for live music programming.
'These will be important measures to safeguard future live broadcasts from a failure such as this.
'I am satisfied that the Executive is initiating a process to ensure proper accountability for those found to be responsible for the failings in this incident.
'While it is important that the process is carried out fairly and correctly, it is equally important that the Executive takes decisive action.
'The Board fully supports the Director-General and the swift actions taken by him and his team to identify these errors and address them.'
And Mr Davie himself said in a statement to colleagues: 'I wanted to write to you today about Bob Vylan's appearance at Glastonbury.
'I deeply regret that such offensive and deplorable behaviour appeared on the BBC and want to say sorry - to our audience and to all of you, but in particular to Jewish colleagues and the Jewish community.
'We are unequivocal that there can be no place for antisemitism at the BBC. I and everyone need to ensure that the BBC is a role model for inclusivity and tolerance and we all have a part to play.
'We are utterly committed to creating an environment where everyone is supported and can do their very best work. Please continue to treat each other with respect and kindness.'
Bob Vylan said in their own statement shared on Instagram on Tuesday: 'Today, a good many people would have you believe a punk band is the number one threat to world peace.
'Last week it was a Palestine pressure group, the week before that it was another band.
'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.
'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.
'The Government doesn't want us to ask why they remain silent in the face of this atrocity? To ask why they aren't doing more to stop the killing? To feed the starving?
'The more time they talk about Bob Vylan, the less time they spend answering for their criminal inaction. We are being targeted for speaking up.
'We are not the first. We will not be the last. And if you care for the sanctity of human life and freedom of speech, we urge you to speak up too. Free Palestine.'