'A problem of leadership': Culture secretary hits out at BBC over Glastonbury controversy
Lisa Nandy criticised the corporation over its decision not to pull the livestream after the band's frontman shouted "death, death to the IDF" - referring to the Israel Defence Forces - on Saturday.
A criminal investigation has been launched into the Glastonbury performances of both Bob Vylan and Kneecap after the police reviewed footage.
Ms Nandy condemned the "appalling and unacceptable scenes" at Glastonbury and said the government would not tolerate antisemitism.
She said she had called BBC director-general Tim Davie after the broadcast of Bob Vylan's set to find out why it had aired, and why the feed had not been cut.
"I expect answers to these questions without delay," she said.
Later, when asked in the Commons about the BBC's editorial processes and who would be held accountable, Ms Nandy replied: "When you have one editorial failure, it's something that must be gripped. When you have several, it becomes a problem of leadership."
Ms Nandy said she had spoken to members of the Jewish community, including attendees at Glastonbury, who said they were concerned by imagery and slogans and ended up creating their own "safe space".
Mr Davie has been facing calls for his resignation.
Yesterday, drummer Bobbie Vylan released a video statement on Instagram - saying politicians who have spent time criticising the band should be "utterly ashamed" for giving "room" to this over other issues.
The punk rap duo have had their US visas revoked and been dropped by their US representative, United Talent Agency.
He also addressed what was said on stage, saying: "Regardless of how it was said, calling for an end to the slaughter of innocents is never wrong. To civilians of Israel, understand this anger is not directed at you, and don't let your government persuade you that a call against an army is a call against the people."
Shortly after it was posted, the video was no longer available to view.
Israel denies targeting civilians in its war in Gaza.
During Kneecap's set, one member suggested on stage starting a "riot" outside his bandmate's forthcoming court appearance, before clarifying he meant "support".
In a statement, Avon and Somerset Police said that after reviewing footage of the performances of Kneecap and Bob Vylan, further enquiries are required and a criminal investigation is now being undertaken.
"A senior detective has been appointed to lead this investigation," a spokesperson said. "This has been recorded as a public order incident at this time while our enquiries are at an early stage."
The force said the investigation will be "evidence-led and will closely consider all appropriate legislation, including relating to hate crimes".
"We have received a large amount of contact in relation to these events from people across the world and recognise the strength of public feeling," it added. "There is absolutely no place in society for hate."
What happened?
During Bob Vylan's set, the duo performed in front of a screen that showed several messages, including one that said Israel's actions in Gaza amount to "genocide".
Bobby Vylan also led chants of "death to the IDF".
The set was live streamed by the BBC as part of its Glastonbury coverage, but has not been made available on demand.
Politicians including the prime minister have criticised the performance. Glastonbury organiser Emily Eavis said the chants "crossed a line" and that there was no place at the festival for "antisemitism, hate speech or incitement to violence".
A BBC spokesperson said the broadcaster respected freedom of expression "but stands firmly against incitement to violence".
They added: "The antisemitic sentiments expressed by Bob Vylan were utterly unacceptable and have no place on our airwaves...
"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."
2:32
Media watchdog Ofcom said it was in talks with the BBC and that the broadcaster "clearly has questions to answer" over the stream.
Irish-language rap trio Kneecap were on stage afterwards. Before their appearance at the festival, there had been calls for Glastonbury to remove them from the bill - as rapper Liam Og O hAnnaidh (who performs as Mo Chara) is facing a terror charge, accused of displaying a flag in support of the proscribed group Hezbollah at a gig in London last November.
Glastonbury organisers kept them on the line-up, but the BBC chose not to stream their set live. An edited version was later made available on demand.
On stage, the band led chants of "f*** Keir Starmer".
O hAnnaidh's bandmate Naoise O Caireallain (Moglai Bap) said they would "start a riot outside the courts" for O hAnnaidh's next appearance, before clarifying: "No riots, just love and support, and support for Palestine."
Hundreds of people turned out in protest for his first court appearance earlier this month.
Bob Vylan were set to perform in Chicago, Brooklyn and Philadelphia in the autumn. They are due to perform at Radar Festival in Manchester on Saturday and Boardmasters, a surfing and music festival in Newquay, Cornwall, in August.
Sharing a statement on Instagram after the Glastonbury set, Bobby 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."
The war in Gaza started after Hamas militants launched attacks in Israel on 7 October 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking roughly 250 hostages.
More than 860 Israeli soldiers have been killed since the war began, more than 400 of them during the fighting in Gaza.
Israel's offensive in Gaza has devastated the enclave and killed around 56,500 people, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, which does not differentiate between civilians and combatants, but says more than half of the dead are women and children.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
31 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Palestine Action spraying paint is not terrorism. As ministers abuse their powers, I feel a duty to speak out
Strongly worded emails are not doing it. Appeals to MPs are not doing it. Taking to the streets in our hundreds of thousands with banners and placards is not working. Elected representatives from every party in parliament have stood in the Commons and asked the government to act. Some government ministers themselves have condemned Israel's starvation of Palestinians in Gaza. Every poll of public opinion shows that the nation demands we stop arming Israel, and wants to see an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire. But none of these things are working. Keir Starmer and his cabinet remain impervious to all calls for humanitarian intervention, and Israel is still killing children in Gaza with the support of the British government. To proscribe as 'terrorist' a non-violent direct action group such as Palestine Action threatens the fundamental rights of freedom of expression, and of peaceful protest. Surely the government should only ever apply the Terrorism Act with the utmost restraint and precision. Otherwise it allows the state to repress civil liberties that have been dearly fought for and won, and which represent the bedrock of our democracy. Those civil liberties have already come under real and dangerous threat. The powers given to the police have incrementally increased to an alarming degree, owing in part to the Terrorism Act of 2000 and the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act of 2022. These have both led to the right of public protest being seriously eroded, and afforded the police much greater powers and significantly less accountability. We have for some time seen these powers being used to suppress lawful protest and to detain peaceful protesters. In addition, leaving aside its members, the proscription of Palestine Action will directly affect many other activists who are deeply concerned about the massacre of Palestinians in Gaza. Even to be seen to support PA's non-violent direct action will be to risk being criminalised. The government's response to embarrassing security breaches at RAF bases by Palestine Action seems disproportionate, and highlights, I think, the influence on them of vested interests. There has long been a campaign by senior rightwing politicians, arms company executives and pro-Israel lobby groups to shut down Palestine Action and have it proscribed. Lockheed Martin UK is a key manufacturer of parts for the F-35 fighter jets that have helped Israel flatten the Gaza Strip, kill more than 56,000 people and create more child amputees per capita than anywhere else in the world. The government ended direct sales to Israel of some weapons, but created an 'F-35 exemption' allowing sales of these parts to continue to reach Israel via the US, where the planes are assembled. The Israeli arms manufacturer Elbit Systems also operates on UK soil, and our government has lucrative bilateral deals with the company. As far back as 2022 the then home secretary, Priti Patel, held a meeting with Martin Fausset, the CEO of Elbit Systems in the UK, to discuss how to deal with Palestine Action. The definition of terrorism as laid out in the Terrorism Act of 2000 is clear, and includes 'serious damage to property'. Does spraying red paint on to metal constitute serious damage? The condemnation of this spraying of red paint on to planes as expressed by the home secretary, Yvette Cooper, does not appear to be matched by any equivalent condemnation by her of red blood sprayed on to the tented walls of Gaza. So yes, crimes concerning damage to property have been committed, but there are already laws in place to deal with them. Labelling these as terrorism only serves to deepen the UK government's complicity in the war crimes being committed in Palestine. In a further act of desperation, efforts have been made to try to undermine the motives of Palestine Action by making a tenuous link to Iran, with unnamed Home Office sources telling newspapers it is investigating the group's finances. Smear campaigns such as this are part of a wider policy by government to intimidate and clamp down on dissent. I have had a small taste of this myself. On 18 January, I attended a rally in Whitehall organised by Stop the War – and noticed immediately that the tactics of the police that day seemed to be markedly different. Present in their thousands, they were already kettling people at the start of the event, and behaving in a manner that seemed aggressive and provocative. The march to the BBC, which had been planned to protest against its coverage of the conflict, had been prohibited by the Met at short notice, and the gathering was confined to Whitehall. I was asked to join a group of about 12 people who would form a symbolic delegation, and request passage through police lines to reach the BBC. There we planned to lay flowers at the door. Reaching the police lines, after some hesitation and resistance, an officer allowed us through. Shortly after that, however, our progress was curtailed by another police line. It was here that I saw at close hand the disproportionate tactics used by police. I witnessed further vanloads of police arriving in the area, kettling peaceful protesters and making numerous arrests – 77 in total that day. Three weeks later I was sent a letter from the Met threatening me with charges under section 14 of the Public Order Act. I then faced a three-hour police interview, before being told after several weeks (and several thousand pounds of legal fees) that I would face no further action. Over the past 21 months, I have met many hundreds of people who come out – often travelling long distances – to protest against this genocide. Old people and young, people of every faith, race, generation and ethnic identity. They come in horror at the brutality being inflicted on the population of Gaza. And many of those in our midst are Jewish. But still we are accused by lobby groups of antisemitism. This I disregard; I am married to a Jewish man, whose mother was a refugee from Hitler's Vienna. She escaped just in time in 1938 as a refugee, and most of her family were subsequently wiped out in the Holocaust. My children define themselves as Jewish, and we have many beloved Jewish friends, all of whom are appalled by the activities of Benjamin Netanyahu, his government and the Israel Defense Forces. These Jewish friends are people driven by compassion, humanity and a sense of right and wrong that will not yield to intimidation. In Gaza, the world is watching the most heinous acts of violence that I have witnessed in my lifetime. It is as if the skin has been ripped off the face of humanity to reveal terrifying depths of sadism and depravity. I am intensely aware of this thought: I do not want to find myself at the end of my life looking back at this time regretting that I could have done something and didn't – that I was too frightened to speak out, or to act. Palestine Action and its supporters will have no such regrets. Our current British government, however, may well. Juliet Stevenson is an award-winning actor Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.
The Independent
37 minutes ago
- The Independent
Two arrests after Palestine Action claims blocking Israeli defence firm UK site
Two arrests have been made after soon-to-be banned direct action group Palestine Action claimed to have blockaded the entrance of an Israeli defence company's UK headquarters. It comes ahead of proposed legislation that will ban the group under anti-terror law. Avon and Somerset Police said a 30-year-old woman and a 36-year-old man, both from London, have been arrested on suspicion of criminal damage, unauthorised entry to a prohibited place and locking onto a person, object or land to cause serious disruption. Earlier on Tuesday, a Palestine Action spokesperson said activists had blocked the entrance to Elbit Systems in Bristol, and covered it in red paint 'to symbolise Palestinian bloodshed'. Avon and Somerset Police said officers were called to the site at around 6.30am. A spokeswoman said: 'Two people have been arrested following a small protest outside a premises at the Aztec West Business Park, in Almondsbury. 'They remain in police custody and inquiries are ongoing. 'We're committed to facilitating people's right to peaceful protest, but will not tolerate any criminal behaviour.' The incident comes as a draft order was laid before Parliament on Monday to amend the Terrorism Act 2000 to include Palestine Action as a proscribed organisation. If approved, it would become a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison to be a member of the direct action group or to support it. MPs and peers are expected to debate the legislation on Wednesday and Thursday and, if approved, the ban could come into force by Friday. A Palestine Action spokesperson said: 'While the Government is rushing through Parliament absurd legislation to proscribe Palestine Action, the real terrorism is being committed in Gaza. 'Palestine Action affirms that direct action is necessary in the face of Israel's ongoing crimes against humanity of genocide, apartheid, and occupation, and to end British facilitation of those crimes.' The group also occupied the rooftop of UK subcontractor Guardtech Group, the spokesperson added. Officers are also at the scene at the site in Brandon, Suffolk. A Suffolk Police spokesman said: 'Officers and specialist negotiators are currently at the location and our immediate priority is to bring this to a conclusion and to ensure the safety of everyone at the scene.' Palestine Action is seeking a legal challenge against the Government's bid to proscribe it, with a hearing expected on Friday to decide whether the ban can be temporarily blocked, pending further proceedings to decide whether a legal challenge can be brought. Commenting on the proscription on Monday, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: 'The right to protest and the right to free speech are the cornerstone of our democracy and there are countless campaign groups that freely exercise those rights. 'Violence and serious criminal damage has no place in legitimate protests.'
Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
NHS will have to pay more for British doctors, Streeting is warned
Wes Streeting's plan to prioritise British doctors for NHS jobs risks piling more pressure on the public finances by driving up wages, analysts have warned. Economists at the Institute For Public Policy Research (IPPR), a Left-leaning think tank, said proposals by the Health Secretary to ensure medics who train in Britain are first in the queue for NHS roles will embolden staff to ask for higher pay. The commitment to hire no more than one in 10 doctors from overseas is part of Labour's 10-year plan to revive the health service as waiting lists remain above 7m. However the long awaited proposals – published this week – also come as doctors threaten strike action over a 'derisory' 4pc pay rise and junior doctors demand much higher increase. Seb Rees, at the IPPR, said that while Mr Streeting was 'right to want to train more homegrown doctors and reduce the NHS's reliance on overseas recruitment', it risked pushing up staffing costs. He said: 'The wider impact on pay is unclear, but greater reliance on domestic graduates could put upward pressure on wages. Unlike overseas staff, UK-trained doctors may be more likely to push for higher settlements over time.' Mr Rees added that the Government's ambition to reduce reliance on new overseas recruits from a quarter to one in 10 would be met by the reality of an ageing population that would increase demand for NHS services. 'The UK taxpayer makes a major investment in medical training, and it's simply not acceptable that many British doctors finish their training only to find there's no job waiting for them,' he said. 'However, the Government must be realistic about the scale of the challenge. Today, around two thirds of newly registered doctors are international medical graduates. 'Rebalancing this will require sustained investment in our training pipeline. With an ageing population and rising demand, we will need a larger medical workforce overall – and international recruitment has often been the fastest and most cost-effective way to meet that need. NHS has become 'over-reliant' on foreign workers Writing on social media site X, Mr Streeting vowed to revamp the NHS workforce. He said: 'I'm proud that the NHS has always been open to international talent, but the truth is that we've become over-reliant – including on countries with severe shortages of healthcare staff. 'We'll going to do more to grow our own and retain on talent.' The NHS is one of the world's biggest employers, directly employing 1.7m people in England. Health spending is by far the largest in Whitehall, with a day-to-day budget of roughly £200bn, half of which is spent on staffing costs. Other analysts highlighted that Mr Streeting's plans largely mirrored that of the previous government's proposals, which expected 'around 9pc to 10.5pc of our workforce to be recruited from overseas'. Max Warner, at the Institute for Fiscal Studies, a think tank, said: 'The NHS workforce is almost certainly going to have to grow in the coming years and decades to meet growing demand. Provided there is sufficient domestic supply of healthcare staff, this announcement doesn't necessarily affect the total number of staff working in the NHS. 'If this domestic supply is insufficient, then this could either mean we rely more on international recruitment or grow the NHS workforce at a slower rate.'
