The BBC has questions to answer over the live streaming of Bob Vylan’s Glastonbury set, during which a band member shouted “death to the IDF”, Ofcom has said.
The media watchdog said it was “very concerned” about the stream, which showed frontman Bobby Vylan lead chants of: “Free, free Palestine” and: “Death, death to the IDF (Israel Defence Forces)” at the festival’s West Holts Stage on Saturday.
An Ofcom spokesperson said on Monday: “We are very concerned about the live stream of this performance, and the BBC clearly has questions to answer.
“We have been speaking to the BBC over the weekend and we are obtaining further information as a matter of urgency, including what procedures were in place to ensure compliance with its own editorial guidelines.”
Bobby Vylan on stage. Pic: PA
Video showed some of the crowd joining in with the chant, while the group performed in front of a screen that said Israel’s actions in Gaza amount to “genocide”.
The latest development follows severe condemnation from the prime minister on Sunday.
Sir Keir Starmer said there was “no excuse” for this kind of appalling hate speech.
He also referenced a previous statement that Belfast rap group Kneecap, who were on stage after Bob Vylan, should have been removed from the line-up after one member was charged with a terrorism offence.
“I said that Kneecap should not be given a platform and that goes for any other performers making threats or inciting violence,” he said.
“The BBC needs to explain how these scenes came to be broadcast.”
Festival organiser Emily Eavis said Bob Vylan had “very much crossed a line”.
She added: “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.”
The Israeli embassy said it was “deeply disturbed by the inflammatory and hateful rhetoric”, adding that the slogan chanted “advocates for the dismantling of the State of Israel”.
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