Comment: Emily Eavis was wrong to bow to pressure over Bob Vylan chants
After leading chants of Free Palestine (which have been standard at sets across Glastonbury weekend) singer Bobbie Vylan asked the crowd: 'But have you heard this one?' before shouting 'Death to the IDF' and encouraging fans to respond. Some did, some didn't. People were conflicted. But that didn't matter. The clip went viral immediately, with a handful of utter mentalists online comparing it to the Nuremberg rallies, where Nazis would spread their ideology and military propaganda. Once again, ironic, considering who are the ones accused of committing genocide at the moment. But, logic aside, the response was enough to get Emily Eavis involved, who issued a statement saying that the chants 'crossed a line'. 'There is no place at Glastonbury for antisemitism, hate speech or incitement to violence,' she said.
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Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
After BBC's latest anti-Semitic storm, LEO MCKINSTRY on why free speech has never implied the right to incite violence
The BBC has reached a disgraceful new low in its accelerating ethical decline. In an astonishing dereliction of duty, the BBC did not pull the plug on punk duo Bob Vylan as they embarked on an anti-Semitic rant before a Palestinian flag-waving crowd. Instead, it continued to live-stream the performance, effectively treating the glorification of anti-Israeli violence as a casual dose of Saturday afternoon entertainment. A BBC spokesman said yesterday that they had issued an on-screen warning 'about the very strong and discriminatory language' during Bob Vylan's performance and it was later removed from iPlayer. But that limp response is utterly inadequate. Why was the live feed not immediately cut? Does anyone seriously believe the BBC would have shown such spineless inertia if a performer had dared to voice hardline anti-Islamic or anti-immigration rhetoric? Equally unconvincing was the stance of organiser Emily Eavis, whose father Michael co-founded the festival. She released a mealy-mouthed statement insisting that she doesn't necessarily share the political views of performers, and insisted the real themes of Glastonbury are 'hope, unity, peace and love'. After Saturday's spectacle, those words ring hollow. The trouble at Glastonbury on Saturday was caused not just by Vylan but also by the radical Belfast rap trio Kneecap, which has gained notoriety for its endorsement of Irish paramilitaries and the pro-Palestinian cause. And in November 2023, they released a video that stated: 'The only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your MP.' So incendiary is their message that many had called for their Glastonbury set to be axed. Eavis refused. Even the enfeebled BBC was sufficiently chary of livestreaming its Saturday performance at Glastonbury. But the baton of intolerance was taken up by Bob Vylan with chilling enthusiasm. The Kneecap warmup act lead the 30,000-strong crowd in a chant of 'Free Palestine' - an aggressive anthem widely loathed by Jews for its anti-Semitic overtones - before the band's frontman, who goes by the moniker Bobby Vylan, then started to rant, 'Death to the IDF ' – the Israeli Defence Force. Let's be clear: in practice, these morbid words amount to a call for the destruction of the Jewish people's homeland, since the IDF is the only effective barrier between the survival of Israel or the triumph of its enemies. Vylan and Kneecap like to wail about the supposed genocide of the Palestinians, but the emasculation of Israel would result in mass slaughter on an epic scale. Some purists might argue that, in a democracy, free speech must be protected and therefore these voices should be heard. But freedom of expression has never implied the right to incite violence or murder. Both those actions have always been serious criminal offences – and should be handled with the full rigour of the law. The broadcaster's own editorial guidelines state the following: 'Material that contains hate speech should not be included in output unless it is justified by the context. Broadcasting hate speech can constitute a criminal offence if it is intended or likely to stir up hatred relating to race, or intended to stir up hatred relating to religious belief.' Rightly, Lord Carlile – crossbench peer and former independent government reviewer of terrorism legislation – has warned that BBC executives could now face charges, as police investigate their handling of Vylan's performance. Meanwhile, the Left's sudden pious wailing about free speech reeks of hypocrisy, given that these are the very campaigners who are often at the forefront of cancel culture. Trying to silence their opponents is a favourite tactic, particularly through accusations of Islamophobia and racism. It was that same ideological suppression that allowed predatory grooming gangs to operate with impunity across towns in the North and Midlands. But then this whole saga is riddled with double standards and contradictions. Yesterday, the Metropolitan Police announced that they are not going to take any action against Kneecap over the trio's call to kill Conservative MPs, a decision that stands in stark contrast to the harsh sentence handed to Lucy Connolly, the wife of a West Northamptonshire Conservative councillor. She was jailed for more than two years for sending an inflammatory tweet about migrants during last summer's riots. To many, Connolly is a symbol of the two-tier justice system that has developed in Britain, where people from certain Left-wing groups – like pro-Palestinian demonstrators - are treated more leniently than those who express conservative views. But it is the BBC who made the greatest misjudgement in this case - and it is because its perspective has undoubtably been warped by its obsession with Glastonbury as an enormously significant cultural landmark, with the result that it treats the festival with uncritical reverence. No expense was spared. Hundreds of BBC staffers descended on Worthy Farm - all at licence fee-payers' cost. Every act was breathlessly praised. The broadcaster was less a neutral observer, more a cheerleader. Yet for all its resources, the BBC failed to conduct even basic checks on Bob Vylan -or to intervene when their set descended into an anti-semitic rant.
Daily Mirror
2 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Starmer demands BBC explanation for broadcasting Bob Vylan's 'appalling' chant
Chanting on a stage at Glastonbury, Bob Vylan called for the death of Israeli soldiers, footage which was available on BBC iPlayer until the corporation took it down Keir Starmer has demanded BBC bosses "explain" how a punk duo calling for the death of Israeli soldiers was broadcast from Glastonbury. Pro-Palestine act Bob Vylan chanted "death, death to the IDF" in a sickening rant on stage at the festival. Bobby Vylan, singer and guitarist of the duo, has since posted a defiant message on Instagram, despite police confirming officers are looking into his tirade. And the Prime Minister, who also said Glastonbury Festival organisers should not have let controversial rappers Kneecap appear on stage, has described Bob Bylan's words as "appalling hate speech". Mr Starmer, 62, said: "There is no excuse for this kind of appalling hate speech. I said that Kneecap should not be given a platform and that goes for any other performers making threats or inciting violence. The BBC needs to explain how these scenes came to be broadcast." The BBC, which did not stream Kneecap live, conceded comments made by Bob Vylan were "deeply offensive". The duo's performance is no longer available to watch on BBC iPlayer. Event chiefs said they were "appalled" after the music double act led the crowd in "death to the IDF" chants during their performance. Glastonbury had previously said all are welcome at the festival but added it "does not condone hate speech or incitement to violence of any kind from its performers". Referring to Bob Vylan, Glastonbury organisers said on Sunday: "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." Israeli politicians, including the country's deputy foreign minister, Sharren Haskel, blasted the BBC and Glastonbury for failing to cut off the performance during the live broadcast. The singer from the pro-Palestine punk act, who keeps his identity secret, also shouted "from the river to the sea Palestine... will be free" - regarded by Jews as a call for Israel 's elimination. IDF stands for Israel Defence Forces, the national military of the State of Israel, which is currently involved with the war in Gaza, one of two remaining Palestinian territories. Avon and Somerset Police are now examining video evidence and investigating if any offence had been committed. However, Bobby Vylan has since said on Instagram: "I said what I said." The dad shared a lengthy statement to follow up, in which he stated: "Tomorrow it is a change in foreign policy." A BBC spokesperson said: "We have made an on-demand version of Kneecap's performance available on iPlayer, as part of our online collection of more than 90 other sets. "We have edited it to ensure the content falls within the limits of artistic expression in line with our editorial guidelines and reflects the performance from Glastonbury's West Holts stage. "As with all content which includes strong language, this is signposted with appropriate warnings. As we have said before, acts are booked by the festival, and the BBC doesn't ban artists. We didn't stream Kneecap live. "Some of the comments made during Bob Vylan's set were deeply offensive. During this live stream on iPlayer, which reflected what was happening on stage, a warning was issued on screen about the very strong and discriminatory language. We have no plans to make the performance available on demand."
Metro
4 hours ago
- Metro
Bob Vylan doubles down on Glastonbury backlash: 'I said what I said'
Bob Vylan frontman Bobby Vylan has refused to back down after facing backlash for leading chants including 'death to the IDF' at Glastonbury. On Saturday the English punk duo – which also includes 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 offences have been committed. A day on Bobby has released a statement about encouraging activism in the next generation. '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. '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. 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.' 'I said what I said,' he captioned his post. His response comes after the band came under fire for the comments made on stage. Earlier today a post by Avon and Somerset police on social media said: 'We are aware of the comments made by acts on the West Holts Stage at Glastonbury Festival this afternoon. 'Video evidence will be assessed by officers to determine whether any offences may have been committed that would require a criminal investigation.' Meanwhile spokesperson for the BBC said: 'Some of the comments made during Bob Vylan's set were deeply offensive. 'During this live stream on iPlayer, which reflected what was happening on stage, a warning was issued on screen about the very strong and discriminatory language. We have no plans to make the performance available on demand.' More Trending Reacting to the furore, Bobby posted a selfie of himself holding a tub of ice cream. 'While zionists are crying on socials, I've just had a tub of (vegan) ice cream,' he shared. Bob Vylan, who are based in London, perform under stage names to maintain their privacy in face of what they describe as a surveillance state. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Who are Bob Vylan, the English punk duo behind Glastonbury IDF controversy? MORE: Sir Rod Stewart's biggest controversies after backing Reform ahead of headlining Glastonbury MORE: I live-streamed Kneecap's Glastonbury set when the BBC wouldn't — here's why
