BBC to scrap 'high risk' performances after Bob Vylan Glastonbury backlash
The punk rap duo have been widely criticised for leading the crowd in a chant of 'death to the IDF [Israel Defence Forces]' while performing on the festival's West Holts stage last week.
The BBC has now admitted the performance was considered high risk before broadcast but was ultimately "deemed suitable for live streaming with appropriate mitigations".
In a statement, the corporation said that this was "clearly not the case".
The BBC said: "We fully understand the strength of feeling regarding Bob Vylan's live appearance at Glastonbury on the BBC.
"We deeply regret that such offensive and deplorable behaviour appeared on the BBC and want to apologise to our viewers and listeners and in particular the Jewish community. We are also unequivocal that there can be no place for antisemitism at, or on, the BBC.
"It is clear that errors were made both in the lead-up to and during Bob Vylan's appearance. We think it's important to set out some of the detail around the streaming of this performance.
"Bob Vylan were deemed high risk following a risk assessment process applied to all acts appearing at Glastonbury. Seven acts including Bob Vylan were included in this category and they were all deemed suitable for live streaming with appropriate mitigations.
"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.
"During the performance, the live stream was monitored in line with the agreed compliance protocols and a number of issues were escalated. Warnings appeared on the stream on two occasions and the editorial team took the decision not to cut the feed. This was an error."
The statement went on: "The Director-General was subsequently made aware of what had happened and instructed the team that none of the performance should feature in further coverage.
"The team prioritised stopping the performance from featuring on demand. This meant that no downloads of Bob Vylan's set were available on iPlayer or Sounds. However, the live feed, which was showing subsequent performances from other acts on the same Glastonbury stage, remained up until it was amended shortly after 8pm while teams worked on a technical solution.
"Given the failings that have been acknowledged we are taking actions to ensure proper accountability for those found to be responsible for those failings in the live broadcast. We will not comment further on those processes at this time.
"Furthermore, as a result we will make immediate changes to live streaming music events.
"Any music performances deemed high risk will now not be broadcast live or streamed live; Editorial Policy support will always be available on site at major music festivals and events, to improve compliance processes and the speed of available advice; and we will provide more detailed, practical guidance on the threshold for withdrawing a live stream."
The statement comes after Bob Vylan were dropped from gigs and festivals in the UK and abroad in the wake of the performance.
The duo have also been forced to cancel their American tour after their visas were revoked by the US State Department.
Following the Glastonbury performance, Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the chant 'appalling hate speech,' while the UK's Chief Rabbi, Sir Ephraim Mirvis, condemned 'the airing of vile Jew-hate at Glastonbury.'
Bob Vylan responded to the backlash in a statement on Instagram, writing: '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 added: '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.'
The pair are currently being investigated by Avon and Somerset Police over their appearance at Worthy Farm.
On Wednesday evening, the Metropolitan Police also said they were investigating a Bob Vylan performance at London's Alexandra Palace on May 28, where they allegedly called for 'death to every single IDF soldier out there.'
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