Ofcom speaking to BBC 'as a matter of urgency' over Bob Vylan Glastonbury contro

Metro

2 days ago

Ofcom has said they are speaking to the BBC over Bob Vylan's Glastonbury performance, which led chants including 'death to the IDF' with the festival crowd.
On Saturday the English punk duo – which includes frontman Bobby Vylan and Bobbie Vylan on drums – took to the festival's West Holts Stage ahead of Kneecap.
During their set, they led festival-goers in chants calling for the end of the Israeli Defence Force and to 'free, free Palestine'.
Soon after police said they were reviewing footage from the performance to determine whether any offences had been committed.
Now the broadcasting regulator Ofcom has issued a statement on the BBC's coverage of Bob Vylan's performance at Glastonbury.
'We are very concerned about the live stream of this performance, and the BBC clearly has questions to answer,' the statement began.
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'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.'
Ofcom's involvement at this stage is an unusual move, given that the BBC has its own complaints process, which complainants must go through before they can be escalated to Ofcom.
The Ofcom guidance for BBC complaints states that it is only in 'exceptional circumstances' that Ofcom can circumvent the BBC's complaints process.
The example given for such circumstances on the Ofcom website is 'if the BBC broadcast content involving potentially serious harm to the public'.
Avon and Somerset police shared a statement on social media saying they were 'aware of the comments' from the West Holts Stage.
They added: 'Video evidence will be assessed by officers to determine whether any offences may have been committed that would require a criminal investigation.'
Bob Vylan frontman Bobby has since doubled down on the duo's performance in spite of the backlash, posting a statement with the caption: 'I said what I said.'
'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 her for feedback on the current state of her school dinners,' he began. More Trending
'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.
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'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.'
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