BBC admits it made a major mistake over 'grotesque' Glastonbury broadcast
The broadcaster has apologised over its coverage of a widely-criticised act
Bob Vylan's performance at Glastonbury has been heavily criticised
(Image: Ki Price, WireImagevia Getty Images )
The BBC has admitted it made a mistake with its coverage of punk rap act Bob Vylan's Glastonbury performance. The duo's show has been condemned after the singer led the crowd in chants of "death, death to the IDF".
Prime Minister Keir Starmer is among those who have criticised the BBC for showing the singer inciting the crowd, with the sight of a large crowd calling for the murder of people in the Israeli Defence Force called "grotesque".
The BBC apologised for not cutting away from the performance in a statement issued on Monday. The broadcaster said: "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."
The statement said: "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.
"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."
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Bob Vylan's singer, who uses the stage name Bobby Vylan chanted "free, free Palestine" and used the expression "from the river to sea, Palestine will be free".
Some see the chant as being a call for the eradication of Israel and its people as it imagines Palestinian control of all land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, where the state of Israel currently is.
The watchdog Ofcom has said it is concerned about the broadcast, which showed Bob Vylan's performance live, and said the BBC has questions to answer.
In a statement, it 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."
Glastonbury itself has issued a statement saying it was appalled by Bob Vylan's actions, which it said have no place at the festival.
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The organisers said: "Their chants very much crossed a line and 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."
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