How the antisemitic meltdown at the Glastonbury Festival unfolded
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It was not yet centred on Bob Vylan, the rap duo who are newly infamous for leading the audience at Britain's leading summer pop cultural event in a chant calling for death to Israeli soldiers, but who on Saturday were a downticket entry on the West Holts stage, which showcases reggae, hip hop, jazz, beats and electronica.
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The most pressing concern was about a similar protest from Kneecap, the Northern Irish rap trio, one of whose members faces a terrorism charge for flying a Hezbollah flag at a show in London last year. That charge prompted U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer to say Kneecap's presence on this year's Glastonbury lineup was 'inappropriate.'
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So when the British Broadcasting Corporation belatedly said it regrets not pulling its live broadcast during Bob Vylan's anti-Israel provocations, it is not because it did not expect controversy over the Mideast at all. The BBC had already decided not to broadcast Kneecap live. And just last week, BBC Director-General Tim Davie announced new editorial guidelines about hate speech, including that broadcasting it could constitute a criminal offence, if it is 'intended to stir up hatred relating to religious belief.'
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What followed, then, was predictable if not specifically expected. Avon and Somerset Police have announced a criminal investigation under hate crime law into Bob Vylan's performance, which is classed as a 'public order incident.'
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IDF is the Israel Defense Forces. He repeated it five times, backed similarly by some of the audience, then said, 'hell yeah, from the river to the sea, Palestine must be, will be, inshallah, it will be free.'
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He also spoke to the audience about working for 'f—ing Zionists' at his record label.
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Bob Vylan were followed in their performance by Kneecap, but not on the BBC live feed.
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Festival organizers said they were 'appalled,' and that Bob Vylan's behaviour went against its mission of 'hope, unity, peace and love.'
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BBC staff have reported feeling ashamed at how long this diatribe was allowed to continue in the live stream. The BBC itself said in a statement Sunday: '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. The BBC respects freedom of expression but stands firmly against incitement to violence. The antisemitic sentiments expressed by Bob Vylan were utterly unacceptable and have no place on our airwaves.' The segment has been removed from streaming services, and the BBC has launched a review.
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Vancouver Sun
7 hours ago
- Vancouver Sun
How the antisemitic meltdown at the Glastonbury Festival unfolded
When Pascal Robinson-Foster, 34, a rapper from Ipswich, U.K., who goes by 'Bobby Vylan' came on stage Saturday afternoon at Britain's Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts in front of a Palestine flag, there was already tension in the festival's executive offices. It was not yet centred on Bob Vylan, the rap duo who are newly infamous for leading the audience at Britain's leading summer pop cultural event in a chant calling for death to Israeli soldiers, but who on Saturday were a downticket entry on the West Holts stage, which showcases reggae, hip hop, jazz, beats and electronica. The most pressing concern was about a similar protest from Kneecap, the Northern Irish rap trio, one of whose members faces a terrorism charge for flying a Hezbollah flag at a show in London last year. That charge prompted U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer to say Kneecap's presence on this year's Glastonbury lineup was 'inappropriate.' Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. So when the British Broadcasting Corporation belatedly said it regrets not pulling its live broadcast during Bob Vylan's anti-Israel provocations, it is not because it did not expect controversy over the Mideast at all. The BBC had already decided not to broadcast Kneecap live. And just last week, BBC Director-General Tim Davie announced new editorial guidelines about hate speech, including that broadcasting it could constitute a criminal offence, if it is 'intended to stir up hatred relating to religious belief.' What followed, then, was predictable if not specifically expected. Avon and Somerset Police have announced a criminal investigation under hate crime law into Bob Vylan's performance, which is classed as a 'public order incident.' 'Free! Free!' Vylan chanted into the mic, to which an audible portion of the crowd replied 'Palestine!' 'All right, but have you heard this one though? Death Death to the IDF,' he said. IDF is the Israel Defense Forces. He repeated it five times, backed similarly by some of the audience, then said, 'hell yeah, from the river to the sea, Palestine must be, will be, inshallah, it will be free.' He also spoke to the audience about working for 'f—ing Zionists' at his record label. Bob Vylan were followed in their performance by Kneecap, but not on the BBC live feed. Festival organizers said they were 'appalled,' and that Bob Vylan's behaviour went against its mission of 'hope, unity, peace and love.' BBC staff have reported feeling ashamed at how long this diatribe was allowed to continue in the live stream. The BBC itself said in a statement Sunday: '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. The BBC respects freedom of expression but stands firmly against incitement to violence. The antisemitic sentiments expressed by Bob Vylan were utterly unacceptable and have no place on our airwaves.' The segment has been removed from streaming services, and the BBC has launched a review. The British broadcast regulator Ofcom said the BBC 'has questions to answer' and that it has been urgently investigating what procedures were in place to ensure the BBC complied with its own editorial guidelines. Britain's Chief Rabbi, Sir Ephraim Mirvis, said the episode was 'a time of national shame' that 'brings confidence in our national broadcaster's ability to treat antisemitism seriously to a new low.' 'It should trouble all decent people that now, one need only couch their outright incitement to violence and hatred as edgy political commentary, for ordinary people to not only fail to see it for what it is, but also to cheer it, chant it and celebrate it,' Mirvis wrote. In response to the fallout, which now includes a ban from the United States, the band Bob Vylan posted a statement that read, in part: '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.' That is a reference to a news report Friday in the left-wing Israeli newspaper Haaretz that claimed Israel's Military Advocate General has opened an investigation into possible war crimes over the allegedly deliberate shooting of Gazan civilians in chaotic scenes near aid distribution stations. Hundreds of people have been killed in Gaza in the past month attempting to access food aid, according to Hamas-run Gazan health authorities whose accounts cannot be independently verified. After Israel lifted its 10-week blockade of food shipments into Gaza in May, emergency aid has been delivered by the newly created U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, whose security is overseen by the Israeli military. Speaking to the Reuters news agency, the Israeli military denied the claim of deliberate shooting of civilians at aid distribution centres. It said it was trying to improve the 'operational response' in these areas, and said some incidents were being reviewed by appropriate authorities. 'Any allegation of a deviation from the law or IDF directives will be thoroughly examined, and further action will be taken as necessary,' it said, according to Reuters. International reactions were swift to the live broadcasting of Bob Vylan's 'Death to the IDF' chant. The U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, Christopher Landau, announced Monday the State Department has revoked visas for the performers 'in light of their hateful tirade at Glastonbury, including leading the crowd in death chants. Foreigners who glorify violence and hatred are not welcome visitors to our country.' In Canada, Liberal MP Anthony Housefather said this was a good idea, and said on social media he had been in touch with Minister of Public Safety Gary Anandasangaree to recommend Canada follow the American lead. Opposition Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner said Canada should do the same, and tagged the minister of immigration, refugees and citizenship, Lena Diab, in a social media post. This is a good decision by the United States. The incitement by Bob Vylan and his band at Glastonbury have no place in North America. I have been in touch with the Minister of Public Safety and believe that Mr. Vylan's actions should render him inadmissible to Canada. A Public Safety spokesperson said he could not say whether that would happen, and that this would be a question for border services. The Canada Border Services Agency said it was not in a position to comment on this specific case, and said admissibility decisions are made 'case-by-case,' based on information available at a person's time of entry, and by sharing relevant information on border and national security issues with other agencies and countries. It is not clear Bob Vylan has any plans to come to Canada. Their website lists upcoming tour dates in Britain and Europe, and American stops later in the fall, now presumably cancelled. Promotional material for a tour by the American-Canadian rapper Grandson with stops in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Toronto and Montreal lists Bob Vylan as a co-headliner on American dates, but not the Canadian ones. The group was also dropped by their agent, United Talent Agency. Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here .
Calgary Herald
8 hours ago
- Calgary Herald
How the antisemitic meltdown at the Glastonbury Festival unfolded
When Pascal Robinson-Foster, 34, a rapper from Ipswich, U.K., who goes by 'Bobby Vylan' came on stage Saturday afternoon at Britain's Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts in front of a Palestine flag, there was already tension in the festival's executive offices. Article content It was not yet centred on Bob Vylan, the rap duo who are newly infamous for leading the audience at Britain's leading summer pop cultural event in a chant calling for death to Israeli soldiers, but who on Saturday were a downticket entry on the West Holts stage, which showcases reggae, hip hop, jazz, beats and electronica. Article content Article content The most pressing concern was about a similar protest from Kneecap, the Northern Irish rap trio, one of whose members faces a terrorism charge for flying a Hezbollah flag at a show in London last year. That charge prompted U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer to say Kneecap's presence on this year's Glastonbury lineup was 'inappropriate.' Article content Article content So when the British Broadcasting Corporation belatedly said it regrets not pulling its live broadcast during Bob Vylan's anti-Israel provocations, it is not because it did not expect controversy over the Mideast at all. The BBC had already decided not to broadcast Kneecap live. And just last week, BBC Director-General Tim Davie announced new editorial guidelines about hate speech, including that broadcasting it could constitute a criminal offence, if it is 'intended to stir up hatred relating to religious belief.' Article content Article content What followed, then, was predictable if not specifically expected. Avon and Somerset Police have announced a criminal investigation under hate crime law into Bob Vylan's performance, which is classed as a 'public order incident.' Article content 'All right, but have you heard this one though? Death Death to the IDF,' he said. Article content Article content IDF is the Israel Defense Forces. He repeated it five times, backed similarly by some of the audience, then said, 'hell yeah, from the river to the sea, Palestine must be, will be, inshallah, it will be free.' Article content He also spoke to the audience about working for 'f—ing Zionists' at his record label. Article content Festival organizers said they were 'appalled,' and that Bob Vylan's behaviour went against its mission of 'hope, unity, peace and love.'
National Post
8 hours ago
- National Post
How the antisemitic meltdown at the Glastonbury Festival unfolded
When Pascal Robinson-Foster, 34, a rapper from Ipswich, U.K., who goes by 'Bobby Vylan' came on stage Saturday afternoon at Britain's Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts in front of a Palestine flag, there was already tension in the festival's executive offices. Article content It was not yet centred on Bob Vylan, the rap duo who are newly infamous for leading the audience at Britain's leading summer pop cultural event in a chant calling for death to Israeli soldiers, but who on Saturday were a downticket entry on the West Holts stage, which showcases reggae, hip hop, jazz, beats and electronica. Article content Article content Article content The most pressing concern was about a similar protest from Kneecap, the Northern Irish rap trio, one of whose members faces a terrorism charge for flying a Hezbollah flag at a show in London last year. That charge prompted U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer to say Kneecap's presence on this year's Glastonbury lineup was 'inappropriate.' Article content Article content So when the British Broadcasting Corporation belatedly said it regrets not pulling its live broadcast during Bob Vylan's anti-Israel provocations, it is not because it did not expect controversy over the Mideast at all. The BBC had already decided not to broadcast Kneecap live. And just last week, BBC Director-General Tim Davie announced new editorial guidelines about hate speech, including that broadcasting it could constitute a criminal offence, if it is 'intended to stir up hatred relating to religious belief.' Article content What followed, then, was predictable if not specifically expected. Avon and Somerset Police have announced a criminal investigation under hate crime law into Bob Vylan's performance, which is classed as a 'public order incident.' Article content Article content Article content IDF is the Israel Defense Forces. He repeated it five times, backed similarly by some of the audience, then said, 'hell yeah, from the river to the sea, Palestine must be, will be, inshallah, it will be free.' Article content He also spoke to the audience about working for 'f—ing Zionists' at his record label. Article content Bob Vylan were followed in their performance by Kneecap, but not on the BBC live feed. Article content Festival organizers said they were 'appalled,' and that Bob Vylan's behaviour went against its mission of 'hope, unity, peace and love.' Article content BBC staff have reported feeling ashamed at how long this diatribe was allowed to continue in the live stream. The BBC itself said in a statement Sunday: '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. The BBC respects freedom of expression but stands firmly against incitement to violence. The antisemitic sentiments expressed by Bob Vylan were utterly unacceptable and have no place on our airwaves.' The segment has been removed from streaming services, and the BBC has launched a review.
