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Leaders
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Leaders
British Punk Duo Bob Vylan Speaks against Israel's Actions in Gaza
The punk-rap duo Bob Vylan made headlines around the world last month when they publicly expressed their solidarity with Palestine and criticized Israel's conduct of war in Gaza. At Glastonbury Festival in June, frontman rapper, Bobby Vylan, led chants of 'Free, Free Palestine' and 'Death, Death to the IDF (Israeli military).' Moreover, Bobby Vylan made a strong statement in support for Palestine, saying 'From the river to the sea, Palestine must be, and will be, free.' The incident triggered controversy across the world, drawing both criticism and support amid growing outrage over Israel's actions in Gaza. The UK Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, called the chant 'appalling,' while the British police investigated the incident. Moreover, the band has been dropped from several shows, including France and Germany, and had their US visas revoked. Many people across the UK interpreted the chant as a call for the death of Israeli soldiers. However, Bobby Vylan explained in an Instagram post that he was not calling '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,' the British singer clarified. Short link : Post Views: 37
The Irish Sun
06-08-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Five years ago, BBC promised to clean up its act… here's why it still hasn't learned lessons with more scandals coming
MILLIONS of viewers last night witnessed the warped spectacle of two men fronting a BBC show they had both been sacked from – one amid claims of sleazy behaviour, the other for alleged racist language. Yes, Gregg Wallace and John Torode were both back on our prime-time screens as the pre-recorded series of MasterChef aired. 6 A victim of disgraced newsreader Huw Edwards lashed out at the BBC after it emerged bosses were warned of his behaviour as far back as 2012 Credit: BBC 6 The BBC faced outrage after airing rapper Bobby Vylan's antisemitic Glastonbury rant - despite boss Tim Davie being at the festival himself Credit: PA Which was a staggering turn of events given that this cookery contest had served up the latest scandal to hit the corporation. I'm sure the Beeb would have gladly binned the whole thing and pretended it never happened. Instead, it took the divisive decision to air the show, a resolution born out of the corporation constantly sticking itself between a rock and a hard place. Always hamstrung If it had shelved it, 60 budding chefs would have had their hopes dashed and may even have sued the producers. If the BBC ran the show, it provided a platform for two presenters who were forced out under a massive cloud. So it went for the latter and is now under fire from all quarters. But, as with so many other examples of Beeb controversies, it was another case of Broadcasting House execs staggering from one self-induced crisis to another. The organisation is riddled by cliques, hierarchies, dogma and hypocrisy (all of which should not exist in such a liberal, egalitarian body). As a result, it is always hamstrung whenever a problem rears its head. The MasterChef debacle was all about behaviour that dated back years and yet the Beeb only just dealt with it now. Fury as Glastonbury crowd chants 'death to the IDF' during Bob Vylan set aired live on BBC But it is the same story with the Huw Edwards affair, the investigation into Strictly's Giovanni Pernice and now complaints about the behaviour of BBC Breakfast host Naga Munchetty. With a bizarre reverence for talent, the knotweed of questionable conduct is not nipped in the bud. Instead it is allowed to fester and, in some cases, spread. Bobby Vylan's antisemitic rant at Glastonbury was a perfect example of a situation where the whole country asks of its national broadcaster: 'How on EARTH could you have let this happen?' Which is why when this week we learned of accusations of drug-taking on a family show like Strictly, there was no surprise. Just further disappointment. Five years ago, when Tim Davie became Director-General, he made a pledge that the Beeb would clean up its act amid a string of similar controversies, but far from having learned lessons, it is like nothing had ever happened. 6 BBC Breakfast has been mired in allegations of bullying and toxic behaviour Credit: BBC 6 The investigation into Strictly's Giovanni Pernice has not marked the end of controversy for the family favourite show Credit: BBC - Check Copyright Holder It all seems so inexplicable, too. The BBC broadcast of rapper Bobby Vylan's antisemitic rant at Glastonbury was a perfect example of a situation where the whole country asks of its national broadcaster: 'How on EARTH could you have let this happen?' The mire is certainly not down to a lack of resources. Deep inside the Beeb's annual report was an interesting statistic that highlighted that its spend on staff pay has shot up by £66million in a year. Figures also reveal that the number of 'senior leaders' earning more than £250,000 also rocketed by nearly 60 per cent. Meanwhile, the report showed that although the corporation says it faces 'tight finances' and 'rising costs', its total spend on 'salaries and wages' rose from £1.25billion to £1.32billion. That is an increase of more than five per cent — or the equivalent cost of nearly 400,000 current TV licences. The BBC's problem is not just rooted in it getting things wrong, either. It is the perception of its actions that sees it shoot itself in the foot. My own experience of the Beeb, as The Sun's TV Editor, is that whenever there is a whiff of controversy, it deals with things in a very prescriptive way. Too prescriptive. When we have discussed controversies surrounding individuals on shows produced by Banijay, who make MasterChef for BBC One, corporation PRs say it is solely for the production company to deal with queries. But they are independent companies who are not obliged to the Press quite like the Beeb is. Rebuild trust That is despite the fact we end up watching these shows, and the individuals involved, on the BBC. Tim Davie himself, in dealing with the MasterChef fallout, stated unequivocally: 'If someone is found to not live up to the values, we expect the independent company, Banijay in this case, to take action and report back to us on what they have done. Tim Davie recently said that the MasterChef scandal had convinced him the corporation had to 'draw a line in the sand' when it came to bad behaviour. But lines can blur and sands always shift 'These aren't BBC employees, but we absolutely expect action to be taken.' But if the Beeb is to ensure production companies are transparent and proactive with it, it should also insist they act similarly with the media. That is another way that public trust can be rebuilt. Davie recently said that the MasterChef scandal had convinced him the corporation had to 'draw a line in the sand' when it came to bad behaviour. But lines can blur and sands always shift. So the Director-General is going to have to do a lot better than that. 6 The MasterChef debacle was all about behaviour that dated back years, and yet the Beeb has only just dealt with it Credit: BBC
Scottish Sun
05-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Bob Vylan Glastonbury set sparks antisemitism surge as hate incidents hit six-month high the following day
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) ANTISEMITIC incidents hit a six-month high a day after punk duo Bob Vylan's controversial Glastonbury gig. A total of 26 were reported after rapper Bobby Vylan chanted 'Death, death to the IDF (Israel Defence Forces)' during the set. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 Antisemitic incidents hit a six-month high a day after punk duo Bob Vylan's controversial Glastonbury gig Credit: PA 2 Police say inquiries are continuing in relation to Vylan's chants at the gig, which the BBC chose to livestream Credit: PA The Community Security Trust, which monitors antisemitism in Britain, described the responses to events at the festival as 'absolutely chilling'. Police say inquiries are continuing in relation to the comments at the gig, which the BBC chose to livestream. The CST said the next worst day so far this year was May 17 — a day after Israel said it was expanding military operations in Gaza — when 19 incidents were recorded. A spokesman said: 'Both of these cases illustrate how sentiment and rhetoric towards Israel and Zionism influence, shape and drive contemporary anti-Jewish discourse, online and offline, often around totemic events that grab mainstream public attention.' Over the six months, there were 76 violent anti-Jewish assaults, three rated as 'extreme', the charity said. There were 84 incidents of damage and desecration of Jewish property, 21 of mass-produced antisemitic literature and 1,236 of verbal or written abuse. The six-month January to June total was 1,521, down on the 2,019 in the same period for 2024. CST chief executive Mark Gardner said the figures demonstrate 'extreme levels of Jew-hatred, committed in the name of anti-Israel activism'. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper called the numbers 'shamefully and persistently high'. She said antisemitism 'has a profoundly damaging impact on the individuals affected and the wider Jewish community' and said the Government was determined to 'root out the poison'.
Irish Times
04-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Bob Vylan at All Together Now 2025: ‘Our fight is the Irish fight. And the Irish fight is the Palestinians' fight'
Bob Vylan Something Kind of Wonderful stage, Sunday ★★★★☆ All Together Now 's Something Kind of Wonderful tent is a sea of Palestine flags as the iconoclastic punks Bob Vylan make their entrance. The British duo had been booked to play a smaller stage but were bumped up after their recent Glastonbury performance went viral. 'Apparently there has been a lot of interest in the band recently,' says its frontman, Bobby Vylan (whose real name is widely reported to be Pascal Robinson-Foster). 'And so they have to move us over here.' He's referring to the uproar that ensued at the British megafestival after Vylan led chants of 'Death, death, death to the IDF', referring to the Israel Defense Forces in Gaza. [ Glastonbury 2025: All that Kneecap and Bob Vylan outrage drowned out the air strike on the cafe birthday party Opens in new window ] Several festivals cancelled the group, and the United States revoked their visas. But they've made it to Waterford, where they put in a fantastically furious set that breathtakingly meshes punk and politics. READ MORE Wearing tracksuit leggings and shoulder-length hair, Vylan starts off bouncing on the spot. He encourages the audience to warm up with some stretching and then plunge into We Live Here, an acid-bath commentary on racism in Britain and its ever-mutating forms ('have a drink and puff your chest out / not a racist, you're just proud'). Long before Glastonbury, Bob Vylan – Bobby is backed by the drummer 'Bob Vylan' – had a reputation for getting stuck in: at a show at Whelan's in Dublin in 2023, they called out by name artists who they felt weren't advocating on behalf of Gaza. There's more where that came from at All Together Now, all of it cheered wildly by the audience. All Together Now 2025: Bobby Vylan on stage on Sunday. Photograph: Kieran Frost/Redferns Vylan's message is that his forebears' experiences are interwoven with those of Irish people and of the population in Palestine today. 'As black people in England we understand that our struggle, as it is connected to our homelands, whether it be Jamaica or we trace it all the way back to the African continent ... is the Irish fight. And the Irish fight is the Palestinians' fight. And the Palestinians' fight is the fight of all people that have suffered under occupation, under colonialism, under imperialism.' He also references attacks on the group back in Britain that echo earlier calls to have Kneecap , the Belfast/Derry rappers, dropped from Glastonbury. 'We will not have any right-wing media – or any media at all ... even the soft left – tell us we have gone too far. We will not have them tell us that we should keep our mouths shut and focus on the music.' There is now a traditional call-and-response of Free, Free Palestine. At the end, Vylan says, 'Have you heard this one, though?' and leaves the room hanging. Next come shouts of 'Death, death, death to the IDF' – though only from a minority. (The singer does not join in.) They finish with Hunger Games, a riotous diatribe about the human price of austerity and the cost-of-living crisis. As things stand they're in danger of becoming better known for their speeches than for their songs, but the lesson of this brilliantly pummelling onslaught is that Bob Vylan's music is more than capable of speaking for itself.
The Independent
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Police reveal outcome of Kneecap Glastonbury probe
Irish rap trio Kneecap will face no further action from Avon and Somerset Police following an investigation into their Glastonbury performance. Police concluded there was "insufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction for any offence" after reviewing video and audio recordings. The investigation was launched in June after officers examined footage from both Kneecap's and punk duo Bob Vylan 's sets at the festival. Avon and Somerset Police confirmed they are still investigating comments made by rapper Bobby Vylan, who led chants of, "Death, death to the IDF". A Kneecap member had joked about fans starting a riot at a bandmate's upcoming court appearance related to a terrorism charge, later clarifying it was for "love and support, and support for Palestine".
