BBC to stop showing 'high risk' performances after Bob Vylan controversy

Yahoo

16 hours ago

The BBC has announced it will no longer show live broadcasts of "high-risk" performances due to the controversy surrounding Bob Vylan's gig at Glastonbury.
The punk-rap duo led the crowd in chants of "death, death to the IDF [Israel Defence Forces]" at the Somerset music festival this year.
Afterwards, this saw a lot of criticism aimed at the group, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer calling it "appalling hate speech".
The BBC were criticised for broadcasting the gig live on BBC iPlayer and has since apologised.
BBC: BBC prioritised Bob Vylan's set being on iPlayer or Sounds, but a live feed did remain until 8pm whilst the team worked on tech solution. "We are taking actions to ensure proper accountability for those found to be responsible for those failings in the live broadcast."
— Scott Bryan (@scottygb) July 3, 2025
In a statement, the broadcaster said that "clear that errors were made both in the lead-up to and during Bob Vylan's appearance."
The BBC explained the duo were deemed "high risk" following an assessment process applied to all acts appearing at Glastonbury, Sky News reports.
However, they were deemed suitable for live streaming with "appropriate mitigations".
They continued: "Prior to Glastonbury, a decision was taken that compliance risks could be mitigated in real time on the live stream - through the use of language or content warnings - without the need for a delay. This was clearly not the case."
The corporation added that it would make "immediate changes to livestreaming music events", including no longer broadcasting performances deemed high risk live.
The BBC has said that it regrets not pulling the live stream of punk-rap duo Bob Vylan's Glastonbury performance and said the group's comments were 'antisemitic' and 'utterly unacceptable'. pic.twitter.com/HkqyTgVkuV
— Channel 4 News (@Channel4News) June 30, 2025
In a statement, BBC director general Tim Davie also said he "deeply regrets that such offensive and deplorable behaviour appeared on the BBC".
He continued: "We are unequivocal that there can be no place for antisemitism at the BBC. I and everyone need to ensure that the BBC is a role model for inclusivity and tolerance and we all have a part to play."
Bob Vylan responded to the outcry in a post on Instagram on Tuesday (July 1), saying they had been "targeted for speaking up".
"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," they said.
They added that "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".
BREAKING: Bob Vylan, the duo who led an anti-IDF chant at Glastonbury, have been dropped from Radar Festival in Manchester https://t.co/TC2ROCL7wW 📺 Sky 501, Virgin 602, Freeview 233 and YouTube pic.twitter.com/szcuSWIYoi
— Sky News (@SkyNews) July 2, 2025
A criminal investigation into Bob Vylan's performance has already been launched by Avon and Somerset Police.
Alongside that, another criminal investigation from the same police force is set to assess Kneecap's Glastonbury performance.
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The Irish-language rap band are known for making pro-Palestinian and political comments during their live performances.
Band member Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, who performs under the name Mo Chara, was charged with a terrorism offence earlier this year.
This was for allegedly displaying the flag of the proscribed terrorist organisation Hezbollah at a gig. He has denied the charge.
Although there was no live stream of Kneecap's performance, the BBC later uploaded a largely unedited version of the set to its Glastonbury highlights page on BBC iPlayer.