Bob Vylan singer says ‘only good pig is a dead pig' in anti-police rant

Telegraph

18 hours ago

The singer of punk band Bob Vylan said the 'only good pig is a dead pig' in an anti-police rant, new footage has revealed.
A video shared by the Campaign Against Anti-Semitism (CAA) appears to show the group's frontman, whose real name is Pascal Robinson-Foster, saying to the crowd: 'How do you lot feel about the police? The only good pig is a dead pig.'
It is understood that the incident occurred at the Rebellion Festival in Blackpool in August 2023.
Robinson-Foster sparked controversy last week after leading the crowd at Glastonbury in chants of 'death, death to the IDF' [Israel Defence Forces].
The band were performing ahead of an appearance by Kneecap, the pro-Palestinian Northern Irish rap group. The chant was taken up by the crowd, many of whom were waving Palestinian flags.
The incident has left Tim Davie, director-general of the BBC, fighting for his job after Lisa Nandy, the Culture Secretary, demanded answers over the live-streaming of the event and 'more accountability' from the corporation's leadership.
The Chief Rabbi also criticised the BBC for broadcasting the chants and described the incident as a 'time of national shame', adding: 'Toxic Jew-hatred is a threat to our entire society.'
'Appalling hate speech'
The band's visa, ahead of its 20-city tour through the US, was also revoked by the State Department, and Sir Keir Starmer condemned Robinson-Foster's 'appalling hate speech'.
The Prime Minister told The Telegraph that the corporation urgently 'needed to explain how these scenes came to be broadcast'.
In response to the new footage, a CAA spokesman said that they had contacted the police over the latest chants, adding: 'Before they were calling for 'death to the IDF', we can reveal that Bob Vylan were insulting police officers and extolling 'dead pigs'. Calling for the death of people you dislike isn't art: it's cheap and dangerous.
'It should carry consequences. We have alerted police in Lancashire and Somerset, who are already investigating the Glastonbury performance.'
The CAA had previously called for Mr Davie to be sacked.
The BBC has since said that it will no longer live broadcast 'high-risk' performances following the incident.
Corporation officials also admitted that the band were judged 'high risk' during an assessment of Glastonbury acts, but deemed them suitable for live-streaming, subject to the use of language or content warnings.
A BBC source has previously told The Telegraph that Mr Davie believes he can weather the scandal.
Following the Glastonbury incident, Lorna Clarke, the BBC's head of music, who was the most senior executive in charge of the corporation's coverage, stepped back from day-to-day duties.
Bob Vylan's performance at Radar festival in Manchester was cancelled after the incident at Glastonbury.
According to an organiser, Kneecap were suggested as a replacement for the band. The Irish rap trio have also caused controversy in recent weeks, with member Liam Og O hAnnaidh, also known as Mo Chara, appearing in court in June charged with a terror offence. Kneecap said they have 'never supported' Hamas or Hezbollah, which are banned groups in the UK.
'Make a statement'
Speaking on the 2 Promoters, 1 Pod podcast, Radar organiser Catherine Jackson-Smith said the festival was 'forced into a position' they did not want to take in dropping the band from their upcoming headline slot this Saturday.
On acts that could replace Bob Vylan, Ms Jackson-Smith said her colleague Joe had suggested a Kneecap 'secret set' in order to 'make a statement'.
But she added: 'We might end up with somebody that has no discernible political opinion in any manner at this point, because if they're free and they could play on Saturday, maybe that is the criteria that we're looking for at this stage.'
Avon and Somerset Police and Lancashire Police have been contacted for comment.