EXCLUSIVE Why some BBC staff will be secretly 'pleased' over Bob Vylan's' 'death to the IDF' chant - and how anti-Semitic rant was allowed to be streamed live on iPlayer

Daily Mail​

30-06-2025

The BBC 's Glastonbury scandal has sparked 'total chaos' at Broadcasting House but there are staff who will be privately happy to see the festival on the front pages, insiders told MailOnline today.
A senior source has suggested that some will be 'pleased' that Bob Vylan was broadcast ranting about 'death to the IDF' before a sea of Palestinian flags.
Another insider told MailOnline that there could even be BBC executives involved in broadcasting the Glastonbury festival, which many believe has been on the wane for years, who will be thinking: 'It is nice to be talked about'.
They added that they believe that these bosses think that many BBC viewers will be sympathetic about the difficulties of broadcasting live music from five different stages and not knowing 'what everyone is going to say until they've said it'.
The BBC today is investigating how Bob Vylan's 'death to the IDF' chant made it to broadcast without the live stream being pulled. The corporation said: 'The antisemitic sentiments expressed by Bob Vylan were utterly unacceptable and have no place on our airwaves.'
Alison Howe, a BBC Studios boss who started out as a secretary but is now in charge producing the corporations coverage of Glastonbury, is in the firing line along with the BBC's head of pop music TV, Jonathan Rothery.
Glastonbury organiser Emily Eavis, daughter of founder Michael, was pictured with her arm around Ms Howe this week for a BBC article promising more coverage than ever in 2025 including 90 hours of live-streamed music.
But a BBC insider has suggested that while the decision was made in advance not to livestream Kneecap, Ms Howe and Mr Rothery may not have allowed for the 'total chaos' Bob Vylan caused.
'If you can't have senior eyes over it all, don't stream it all live', the insider warned.
Streams from stages may all have to be shown on delay next year to avoid similar problems. A delay could allow BBC staff to cut or bleep controversial political statements, which Glastonbury is renowned for.
It came as the BBC has admitted it should have cut the broadcast of 'utterly unacceptable' and 'antisemitic' sentiments in Bob Vylan's Glastonbury set - while facing calls to explain why the corporation did not to more at the time.
The new statement came as the punk duo Bob Vylan's frontman doubled down on his 'death to the IDF' chant at Glastonbury - while watchdog Ofcom told the BBC it was 'very concerned' over Saturday's live broadcast.
The artist who performs as Bobby Vylan - real name Pascal Robinson-Foster, 34 - is being investigated by Avon and Somerset Police over his performance.
Israel 's government has been among those condemning the BBC and Glastonbury for Bob Vylan's Saturday afternoon gig at the music festival in which there were calls for the death of Israeli soldiers in what was broadcast live by the corporation.
Police have launched a probe into the comments made by Bob Vylan, who led chants of 'Free Palestine ' and 'Death to the IDF' - and the BBC today admitted it 'should have pulled' the live stream of the performance that contained 'utterly unacceptable' and 'antisemitic sentiments'.
The corporation has faced strong criticism over its various responses following the peformance on Saturday afternoon, including suggestions it should face charges.
The BBC had initially accompanied the broadcast with warnings about 'very strong and discriminatory language', before saying on Sunday: 'Some of the comments made during Bob Vylan's set were deeply offensive.'
Now the corporation has gone further in a new statement today saying: 'Millions of people tuned in to enjoy Glastonbury this weekend across the BBC's output but one performance within our live streams included comments that were deeply offensive.
'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. We welcome Glastonbury's condemnation of the performance.
'The performance was part of a live stream of the West Holts stage on BBC iPlayer. The judgement on Saturday to issue a warning on screen while streaming online was in line with our editorial guidelines.
'In addition, we took the decision not to make the performance available on demand. 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.'
And an Ofcom spokesperson has now 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.'
Critics including the Conservatives ' Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp have called for action against the BBC - while comparisons have also been made with the 31-month prison sentence handed to Lucy Connolly for inciting racial hatred when posting about burning down a hotel housing asylum seekers.
The singer from the band, who officially keeps his identity secret, also declared 'from the river to the sea Palestine will be free' – and has now posted a new statement on Instagram, titled with the defiant phrase: 'I said what I said.'
He also told of being 'inundated with messages of both support and hatred'.
Robinson-Foster wrote: 'As I lay in bed this morning, my phone buzzing non stop, inundated with messages of both support and hatred, I 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.
'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.
'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.'
The group formed in their hometown of Ipswich in 2017 and have since gone on to release five albums including 2020 debut We Live Here.
The frontman has previously spoken of their struggles to get that first album cleared, describing it as being too 'extreme' for some in the music industry - telling the website Louder: 'It was hard to get it released the conventional way - but it was in our power to release it.'
Lyrics on their tracks include saying on Britain Makes Me Violent how there is 'nothing great' about Great Britain, while on Reign the frontman declares: 'Got a message for the thieves in the palace, we want the jewels back.'
Touching on the subject of housing in London, their song GYAG states: 'Landlord just raised your rent - mate, get yourself a gun.'
As well as tackling subjects such as racism, homophobia, capitalism and toxic masculinity, the duo have also made a big deal about the importance of fatherhood.
The singer known as Bobby Vylan has said his daughter gave their debut album We Live Here its name and she also featured on the cover of their single Dream Big.
Bob Vylan's entire performance on Saturday afternoon at Glastonbury was live-streamed on the BBC iPlayer but it has since been taken down.
Nevertheless, the corporation was lambasted for failing to cut the broadcast immediately after the 'anti-Israel' chanting.
The live stream continued for another 40 minutes until the end of Bob Vylan's performance.
Avon and Somerset Police said video evidence from the performances would be assessed by officers to determine whether any offences may have been committed that would require a criminal investigation.
MailOnline has contacted the force for any further updates.
Glastonbury organiser Emily Eavis has described Bob Vylan's chants as having 'very much crossed a line'.
She said in a statement: 'We are urgently reminding everyone involved in the production of the festival that there is no place at Glastonbury for antisemitism, hate speech or incitement to violence.'
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp accused Bob Vylan of 'inciting violence and hatred', saying they should be arrested and prosecuted.
Glastonbury had said all were welcome at the festival but added it 'does not condone hate speech or incitement to violence of any kind from its performers'
Bob Vylan's entire performance was live-streamed on the BBC iPlayer but it has since been taken down
And he said of the frontman: 'By broadcasting his vile hatred, the BBC appear to have also broken the law.'
Mr Philp posted on X, formerly Twitter: 'I call on the police to urgently investigate and prosecute the BBC as well for broadcasting this.
'Our national broadcaster should not be transmitting hateful material designed to incite violence and conflict.'
Toby Young, president of the Free Speech Union, raised the case of childminder Lucy Connolly, who was jailed for tweets she made about deporting asylum seekers and burning down hotels housing them after the Southport killings of three girls at a dance studio. She is currently serving a 31-month sentence.
He added: 'She caveated what she said by adding 'for all I care', whereas he [Vylan] clearly does care and wants every member of the IDF, which includes virtually the entire population of Israel, to be killed, so the case for prosecuting him is stronger. But to be clear, neither should be prosecuted.'
Health Secretary Wes Streeting called the performance a 'pretty shameless publicity stunt', as he suggested the BBC and Glastonbury had 'questions to answer about how we saw such a spectacle on our screens'.
And Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch called the scenes 'grotesque', writing on X: 'Glorifying violence against Jews isn't edgy. The West is playing with fire if we allow this sort of behaviour to go unchecked.'
Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary Helen Whately said she was 'horrified' and that that the BBC should have cut the feed, telling Times Radio: 'Given the nature of the attacks on Israel, the BBC should not have kept broadcasting that. They should have cut the coverage immediately.'
Bob Vylan crowdsurfs in front of the West Holts stage during day four of Glastonbury festival
Liberal Democrat culture, media and sport spokesman Max Wilkinson said: 'Bob Vylan's chants at Glastonbury yesterday were appalling.
'Cultural events are always a place for debate, but hate speech, antisemitism and incitements to violence have no place at Glastonbury or anywhere in our society.'
Shadow Foreign Secretary Dame Priti Patel wrote in the Daily Mail that the incident was a 'systemic failure', adding: 'What happened at Glastonbury was dangerous.
'Chants calling for the death of Israeli soldiers crossed a line no civilised society should ever tolerate, and it was shameful that the BBC continued with its live broadcast of this incitement to violence.
'The fact the BBC - a national institution - broadcast this hate-fuelled content will risk legitimising and normalising those views in society.'
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has spoken to the BBC director general about Bob Vylan's performance, a Government spokesperson said.
The BBC earlier said it showed a warning during the performance and that viewers would not be able to access it on demand.
A spokesperson for the broadcaster said: 'Some of the comments made during Bob Vylan's set were deeply offensive.
Despite the outrage Bobby Vylan, who performs pseudonymously alongside bandmate Bobbie Vylan, posted a photo of some ice cream as he mocked 'Zionists crying on socials'
'During this live stream on iPlayer, which reflected what was happening on stage, a warning was issued on screen about the very strong and discriminatory language. We have no plans to make the performance available on demand.'
The Israeli embassy said it was 'deeply disturbed by the inflammatory and hateful rhetoric expressed on stage at the Glastonbury Festival'.
The Campaign Against Antisemitism said it would be formally complaining to the BBC over what the group described as an 'outrageous decision' to broadcast Bob Vylan.
A spokesperson said: 'Our national broadcaster must apologise for its dissemination of this extremist vitriol, and those responsible must be removed from their positions.'
A former head of news and current affairs at Channel 4 questioned the BBC's preparation ahead of Bob Vylan's set.
Dorothy Byrne, former head of news and current affairs at Channel 4 Television, told the Today Programme on BBC Radio 4: 'One wonders what research the BBC did about Bob Vylan because if you look online, he had previously made radical statements about Israel, which is his right, of course.
'But it calls into question the decision to stream him live and then, in view of what was happening in Glastonbury.
'They should really have had a politics producer in the gallery ready to advise them when and if something went wrong.
'I would have expected them to have an alternative feed available anyway because things can go wrong and there were lots of other acts on at the time.
'I'm surprised they just left it on with a warning rather than cut away because it's wrong to call for anyone to be killed.
'You're not, when you're covering a music festival, able to balance up another perspective in a duly impartial debate and coverage of a music festival is not the same as a discussion on the Today Programme.
'But it does mean that yet again we're discussing BBC coverage of Gaza when we should be discussing events in Gaza and the BBC does seem to keep getting itself into grave problems with Gaza.'
A former director of communications for ex-prime minister David Cameron said the BBC should cut the feed when there is 'a hint of hate speech' at Glastonbury Festival.
Sir Craig Oliver, a former editor of the BBC Six O'Clock News and Ten O'Clock News, told the Today Programme: 'It's clear that for its viewers and the BBC's own reputation there does need to be some form of mechanism that whenever there is a hint of hate speech that you can cut the feed.
'I suspect at next year's Glastonbury there's going to have to be a senior editorial figure who does understand the sensitivities and is going to cut the feed.