The BBC stated on Monday (June 30, 2025) it should have pulled a livestream of rap group Bob Vylan’s efficiency at Glastonbury Festival over antisemitic chants towards Israeli troops.
The British broadcaster has come below heavy criticism for broadcasting the rap punk duo’s efficiency on Saturday (June 28, 2025), when rapper Bobby Vylan led crowds attending the U.Okay.’s largest summer season music pageant in chants of “Free, free Palestine” and “Death, death to the IDF,” the Israel Defense Forces.
The BBC stated on Monday that it “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,” it stated.
Broadcaster faces backlash
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the chants, saying there was no excuse for such “appalling hate speech.”
“The BBC needs to explain how these scenes came to be broadcast,” Mr. Starmer stated.
Ofcom, the broadcasting regulator, additionally stated it was “very concerned” in regards to the BBC livestream and stated the broadcaster “clearly has questions to answer.”
The BBC stated earlier in its defence that it had issued a warning on display about “very strong and discriminatory language” throughout the livestream.
Rap group releases assertion
Bob Vylan, who shaped in 2017, have launched 4 albums addressing points to do with racism, masculinity and sophistication. Its two members each maintain their actual names secret for privateness causes.
In a press release posted on social media, Bobby Vylan stated: “Teaching our kids to talk up for the change they need and wish is the one means that we make this world a greater place.”
More than 6,000 people have been killed and more than 20,000 injured in Gaza since a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas collapsed in March. Since the war began in October 2023 with a Hamas attack on Israel, Israeli attacks have killed more than 56,000 people and injured 1,32,000, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
