Bob Vylan claim they are being ‘targeted for speaking up'

Telegraph

6 hours ago

Bob Vylan have claimed they are being 'targeted for speaking up' after their 'death, death to the IDF' chant was branded anti-Semitic and prompted a police probe.
Rapper Pascal Robinson-Foster repeated the phrase during a Glastonbury performance over the weekend that was broadcast live by the BBC.
Lisa Nandy, the Culture Secretary, said the issue should have been foreseeable and constituted 'a problem of leadership' for the BBC, while Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis described the incident as a 'time of national shame'.
Speaking for the first time since the incident, the punk group said: 'Today, a good many people would have you believe a punk band is the number one threat to world peace. Last week it was a Palestine pressure group, the week before that it was another band.
'We are not 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.
'We, like those in the spotlight before us, are not the story. We are a distraction from the story. And whatever sanctions we receive will be a distraction.'
In a statement published on Instagram, the group added: 'The government doesn't want us to ask why they remain silent in the face of this atrocity? To ask why they aren't doing more to stop the killing? To feed the starving?
'The more time they talk about Bob Vylan, the less time they spend answering for their criminal inaction.
'We are being targeted for speaking up. We are not the first. We will not be the last. And if you care for the sanctity of human life and freedom of speech, we urge you to speak up too. Free Palestine.'
Tim Davie, who was visiting staff at the festival on Saturday afternoon, was informed of the chant shortly after it had been made and ruled that the rap duo's set should not be made available to watch on demand. However, the chant remained on iPlayer for another five hours.
Sources stressed that pulling the livestream was not discussed, but a spokesman said that, in hindsight, the BBC regretted that this decision was not taken.
A BBC source said: 'Tim was there for a few hours to see the team. He was made aware during the time he was there of what had been said on stage. He intervened to make sure the performance was not made available on demand and he was very clear about that.
'Pulling the livestream brings certain technological challenges. With hindsight, we would have taken it down. He would have asked what the options were, but it isn't as straightforward as hitting a button and taking it down.'
'A problem of leadership'
Lisa Nandy, the Culture Secretary, suggested that the incident called Mr Davie's position into question.
Speaking in the Commons, she said: 'When you have one editorial failure, it's something that must be gripped. When you have several, it becomes a problem of leadership.'
During their appearance at Glastonbury, Bob Vylan chanted 'Free! Free!' and the crowd responded 'Palestine!', before they led fans in the chant of 'death, death to the IDF'.
Robinson-Foster, the group's frontman, who performs as Bobby Vylan, also ranted about a Jewish record company boss for whom he had worked.
The set was not made available on demand, where programmes can be accessed and watched on iPlayer after their live broadcast has finished.
However, it was possible to rewind and watch it back before the live broadcast from the stage where Bob Vylan were performing had finished.
The corporation said it regretted broadcasting the 'unacceptable' words, adding: 'The anti-Semitic sentiments expressed by Bob Vylan were utterly unacceptable and have no place on our airwaves. We welcome Glastonbury's condemnation of the performance.'