BBC says Bob Vylan's Glastonbury should be streamed through “anti-Semitism” ode
The BBC said on Monday that a live broadcast of the rap duo Bob Vylan's performance should be held at Glastonbury Festival, which brought the group to lead numerous musical heralds to sing odes and demanded “death” to the Israeli military.
The British broadcaster called the hymn “anti-Semitism”, and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said there was no excuse for such “shocking hate speech”.
The BBC has received serious criticism for playing the rap punk duo's performance, when rapper Bobby Vylan led the crowd to the UK's largest summer festival with “Free, Free Palestine” and “Death, Death, Death to IDF”, the death of the Israeli Defense Forces.
The BBC said on Monday that it “respects freedom of speech but firmly opposes incitement of violence”.
It says: “The anti-Semitism expressed by Bob Vylan is completely unacceptable and has no place in our radio waves.”
Starmer said the BBC had to explain “how these scenes were played.”
Ofcom said it was “very concerned” about the BBC's live broadcast and said the broadcaster “apparently there are questions to answer”.
The BBC earlier said in its defense that it issued a warning on screen about “very strong and discriminatory language” during live broadcasts.
The Israeli embassy said in the UK that it said over the weekend that the inflammation and hatred remarks expressed on the stage on Glastonbury Day were deeply disturbed.
Founded in 2017, Bob Vylan released four albums that mix punk, dirt and other styles with lyrics that often address issues including racism, masculinity, and politics. Both its members keep their real names secret for privacy reasons and are named after the stage names Bobby Vylan and Bobbie Vylan.
Singer Bobby Vylan said in a statement posted on social media that he was overwhelmed by messages of support and hatred.
“Teaching our children to speak out about the change they want and need is the only way we can make this world a better place,” he wrote.
Police said they knew of the festival’s comments, and police would review the video evidence to determine if any crime was committed.
The duo competed on Saturday afternoon before Irish language rap band Kneecap, another band's stance on Middle Eastern politics.
One of its members is accused of supporting a banned organization, who allegedly waved Hezbollah's flag at a concert.
Kneecap led a large crowd at the festival with an ode to “Free Palestine”.
These acts are one of 4,000 performances performed in front of about 200,000 music fans this year at the Glastonbury Festival in southwestern England.
Israel faces serious international criticism for its war in Gaza. In May, Britain, France and Canada issued a sharply worded statement calling on Israel to stop its “serious” military operations in Gaza and criticized Israel’s actions in the occupied West Bank.
The war has sparked tensions around the world and sparked pro-Palestinian protests in many capitals and university campuses. Israel and its supporters say the protests are anti-Semitic, while critics say Israel uses such description to silence the opposition.
More than 6,000 people have been killed and more than 20,000 injured in Gaza since a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in March. Since the Gaza Ministry of Health said that since October 2023, the Hamas attacks have caused 1,200 Israeli attacks and 251 more people have taken hostages. The Israeli attacks have killed more than 56,000 people and injured 132,000 people.
It does not distinguish between civilians and combatants, but women and children are said to account for more than half of the 56,000 deaths. Israel said it targeted only militants and blamed civilian deaths in Hamas, accusing militants of operating in densely populated areas because they hid civilians among them.
