BBC 'regrets' not pulling live coverage of Bob Vylan's Glastonbury controversial set

Yahoo

8 hours ago

BBC representatives have expressed regret over failing to pull the livestream of Bob Vylan's controversial Glastonbury performance.
The punk-rap duo sparked controversy on Saturday afternoon when they led the crowd at the West Holts stage in chanting "death, death to the IDF (Israel Defense Forces)".
BBC, the broadcast partner of Glastonbury, aired the performance live, and executives for the corporation admitted on Monday that they should have pulled the livestream over the "deeply offensive" remarks.
"The BBC respects freedom of expression but stands firmly against incitement to violence," they said in a statement. "The antisemitic sentiments expressed by Bob Vylan were utterly unacceptable and have no place on our airwaves.
"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.
"In light of this weekend, we will look at our guidance around live events so we can be sure teams are clear on when it is acceptable to keep output on air."
At the time, BBC staff issued an on-screen warning during the performance and didn't make the set available on demand.
Their statement echoes sentiments made by Glastonbury organiser Emily Eavis, who said that Bob Vylan's chants "very much crossed a line" and there was "no place at Glastonbury for antisemitism, hate speech or incitement to violence".
The duo's lead singer, Bobby Vylan, defended his on-stage remarks on Instagram on Sunday alongside the caption, "I said what I said."
"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. "Let them see us marching in the streets, campaigning on ground level, organizing online and shouting about it on any and every stage that we are offered."
According to Variety and Deadline, the band has been dropped by its agency, UTA, over the scandal.