The prime minister says he's "appalled" by Bob Vylan's chants as police assess footage
Glastonbury Festival and the prime minister have said they are "appalled" by comments made by Bobby Vylan, who led chants of "death, death to the IDF'.
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South Wales Argus
18 minutes ago
- South Wales Argus
On-screen warnings on Bob Vylan set ‘not good enough' says minister
The BBC is facing questions after rapper Bobby Vylan – of the rap punk duo – led crowds at the festival's West Holts Stage in chants of: 'Free, free Palestine' and: 'Death, death to the IDF (Israel Defence Forces)' on Saturday. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said there is 'no excuse' for the chanting, and the corporation said it showed a warning during the set's stream about the 'very strong and discriminatory language'. The Bob Vylan set was shown live on an iPlayer stream. Baroness Jacqui Smith was asked on Times Radio whether she thought the BBC has a bias. She told the station: 'I don't think the BBC has a bias, but I think it made a mistake here. 'It's not good enough simply to say on screen that, you know, 'this is dodgy language'. 'It was far beyond that, and it shouldn't have been broadcast live. And I think it would have been possible for the BBC to stop that.' The education minister also told Sky that she was 'surprised' that the BBC continued broadcasting the set. Bob Vylan's performance on the West Holts Stage on Saturday drew significant criticism (Yui Mok/PA) Over the weekend, the BBC said that viewers would not be able to access the performance on demand. A spokesperson for the broadcaster said: 'Some of the comments made during Bob Vylan's set were deeply offensive. '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.' Kneecap also performed on the West Holts Stage on Saturday (Yui Mok/PA) A former BBC editor has said that the broadcaster should have the ability to 'cut the feed' whenever there 'is a hint of hate speech'. Sir Craig Oliver – who also served as director of communications for Lord David Cameron in Downing Street – told Radio 4's Today programme: '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.' Sir Keir Starmer led the criticism from across the political spectrum over the weekend, and also referenced Belfast rap trip Kneecap, who had faced calls to be cut from the festival after a member was charged with a terror offence. The performer led crowds on the festival's West Holts Stage in chants of 'death, death to the IDF' (Yui Mok/PA) Responding to the chants from Bob Vylan, the Prime Minister said: 'There is no excuse for this kind of appalling hate speech. 'I said that Kneecap should not be given a platform and that goes for any other performers making threats or inciting violence. 'The BBC needs to explain how these scenes came to be broadcast.' Bob Vylan, who formed in Ipswich in 2017, have released four albums addressing issues to do with racism, masculinity and class. Bobby Vylan's real name is Pascal Robinson-Foster, 34, according to reports. In a statement posted to Instagram, Vylan 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. 'As we grow older and our fire starts to possibly 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.'
Telegraph
23 minutes ago
- Telegraph
US government could ban Bob Vylan over Glastonbury ‘death to IDF' chant
British rap duo Bob Vylan could be banned from the US after the group's frontman called for the death of all Israeli soldiers in a Glastonbury performance broadcast live by the BBC. The US State Department is 'already looking at revoking' the group's visa ahead of their twenty-city tour through the country, a senior official told the Daily Wire. 'As a reminder, under the Trump Administration, the US government will not issue visas to any foreigner who supports terrorists,' the senior official said. Bobby Vylan, whose real name is Pascal Robinson-Foster, repeatedly chanted 'death, death to the IDF [Israel Defense Forces]' in his Glastonbury performance on Saturday. 'Free, Free Palestine,' the rapper chanted with the crowd at the music festival. 'But have you heard this one though? Death, death to the IDF! Death, death to the IDF!' After repeating the chant several times, Vylan then shouted out another anti-Semitic chant: 'Hell yeah, from the river to the sea, Palestine must be, will be, inshallah, it will be free.' StopAntisemitism, a watchdog organisation based in New York, called for Vylan to have his visa revoked ahead of upcoming concerts across the United States. The group is scheduled to play in New York City, Boston, Los Angeles, and Nashville for its 'Inertia Tour' in October and November. They were previously forced to cancel shows in 2023 owing to 'visa issues' but managed to tour a year later. 'The antisemite must have his visa denied/rescinded – his hate is not welcome here,' the StopAntisemitism wrote. Section 3B(bb) of the Immigration and Nationality Act said visas can be denied if applicants are part of 'a political, social, or other group that endorses or espouses terrorist activity'. Another section of the act that could be examined by the State Department centres around applicants potentially causing 'serious adverse foreign policy consequences' for the United States. Leo Terrell, the chairman of the department of justice's anti-Semitism taskforce, said his 'first call' on Monday would be to Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, to ensure Vylan cannot enter the country. 'These abhorrent chants, which included calls for the death of members of the Israeli Defense Forces, are abhorrent and have no place in any civil society,' Mr Terrell said in a statement. 'We understand that Mr Vylan is planning to travel to the United States as part of the Inertia Tour. In response, Mr. Terrell's Task Force will be reaching out to the US Department of State on Monday to determine what measures are available to address the situation and to prevent the promotion of violent antisemitic rhetoric in the United States.' Avon and Somerset Police in the United Kingdom said they were investigating the performance and said they would determine 'whether any offenses may have been committed that would require a criminal investigation'. The incident has drawn comparisons with the case of Lucy Connolly, who was jailed for 31 months last year for inciting racial hatred after publishing a racist social media post. Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, said: 'It seems very clear that this man was directly inciting violence. He should receive the same treatment under the law as others, such as Lucy Connolly. 'He should be arrested and prosecuted immediately. A failure to do so would be a clear example of two-tier justice under Sir Keir Starmer and his attorney general, Lord Hermer.' Connolly posted a message last year amid public outrage in the wake of the Southport attack, in which Axel Rudakubana stabbed three young girls to death. Sir Keir Starmer condemned Robinson-Foster's 'appalling hate speech' and warned that the BBC had questions to answer. The Prime Minister told The Telegraph that the corporation urgently 'needed to explain how these scenes came to be broadcast'. The corporation is under growing scrutiny over why the performance was streamed unedited in the first place and why, when the offensive chants began, it failed to cut the feed or bleep any offensive language. Vylan responded to the controversy in an Instagram post on Sunday saying that it is important to '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,' he wrote. 'Let them see us marching on the streets, campaigning on the ground level, organising online and shouting about it on any and every stage that we are offered.'
Glasgow Times
31 minutes ago
- Glasgow Times
On-screen warnings on Bob Vylan set ‘not good enough' says minister
The BBC is facing questions after rapper Bobby Vylan – of the rap punk duo – led crowds at the festival's West Holts Stage in chants of: 'Free, free Palestine' and: 'Death, death to the IDF (Israel Defence Forces)' on Saturday. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said there is 'no excuse' for the chanting, and the corporation said it showed a warning during the set's stream about the 'very strong and discriminatory language'. The Bob Vylan set was shown live on an iPlayer stream. Baroness Jacqui Smith was asked on Times Radio whether she thought the BBC has a bias. She told the station: 'I don't think the BBC has a bias, but I think it made a mistake here. 'It's not good enough simply to say on screen that, you know, 'this is dodgy language'. 'It was far beyond that, and it shouldn't have been broadcast live. And I think it would have been possible for the BBC to stop that.' The education minister also told Sky that she was 'surprised' that the BBC continued broadcasting the set. Bob Vylan's performance on the West Holts Stage on Saturday drew significant criticism (Yui Mok/PA) Over the weekend, the BBC said that viewers would not be able to access the performance on demand. A spokesperson for the broadcaster said: 'Some of the comments made during Bob Vylan's set were deeply offensive. '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.' Kneecap also performed on the West Holts Stage on Saturday (Yui Mok/PA) A former BBC editor has said that the broadcaster should have the ability to 'cut the feed' whenever there 'is a hint of hate speech'. Sir Craig Oliver – who also served as director of communications for Lord David Cameron in Downing Street – told Radio 4's Today programme: '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.' Sir Keir Starmer led the criticism from across the political spectrum over the weekend, and also referenced Belfast rap trip Kneecap, who had faced calls to be cut from the festival after a member was charged with a terror offence. The performer led crowds on the festival's West Holts Stage in chants of 'death, death to the IDF' (Yui Mok/PA) Responding to the chants from Bob Vylan, the Prime Minister said: 'There is no excuse for this kind of appalling hate speech. 'I said that Kneecap should not be given a platform and that goes for any other performers making threats or inciting violence. 'The BBC needs to explain how these scenes came to be broadcast.' Bob Vylan, who formed in Ipswich in 2017, have released four albums addressing issues to do with racism, masculinity and class. Bobby Vylan's real name is Pascal Robinson-Foster, 34, according to reports. In a statement posted to Instagram, Vylan 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. 'As we grow older and our fire starts to possibly 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.'
