BBC bosses today admitted that they should have pulled the plug on its Glastonbury output when rapper Bobby Vylan, whose real name is Pascoe Robinson-Foster, started chanting 'death to the IDF'.
Frontman rapper Bobby Vylan, real name Pascal Robinson-Foster, of UK punk duo Bob Vylan led chants of "free, free Palestine" and "death, death to the IDF [Israel Defense Forces]" in a broadcast streamed to the nation.
A No10 Spokesman said this afternoon there was “no excuse” for the “appalling hate speech” aired at Glastonbury.
“The BBC needs to explain how it came to be broadcast. We strongly condemn the comments by Bob Vylan.
“Any performers making threats or inciting violence should not be given a platform.” the spokesman said.
The BBC conceded earlier today that while they did issue a warning on screen which was 'in line with editorial guidelines' – in 'hindsight' they should have pulled down the stream.
They said that the team were 'dealing with a live situation'.
A BBC spokesman said today: "Millions of people tuned in to enjoy Glastonbury this weekend across the BBC's output but one performance within our livestreams included comments that were deeply offensive.
"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.
"We welcome Glastonbury’s condemnation of the performance.
"The performance was part of a live stream of the West Holts stage on BBC iPlayer. The judgment on Saturday to issue a warning on screen while streaming online was in line with our editorial guidelines.
"In addition, we took the decision not to make the performance available on demand. 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."
"In light of this weekend, we will look at our guidance around live events so we can be sure teams are clear on when it is acceptable to keep output on air."
The UK’s media regulator said it is ‘very concerned’ over the BBC’s coverage of Glastonbury, and why the Corporation continued to broadcast the “incitement to violence” to attack Israel’s military.
It said it had received 150 complaints so far and added that the BBC has 'questions to answer'.
An Ofcom spokeswoman said they were asking 'urgent' questions of the BBC over whether the corporation adhered to its own editorial guidelines.
"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."
The BBC cut its stream for Irish band Kneecap.
Ministers and viewers have blasted the BBC for its coverage of Glastonbury performances.
Speaking with Nick Ferrari at Breakfast, Baroness Jacqui Smith branded the chants "completely unacceptable".
"It quite clearly stepped over a mark from what is reasonable protest," the former Home Secretary added.
Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said the BBC's senior executives "should face charges" over the broadcast of hate speech.
Philips said the corporation "appears to have broken the law" in broadcasting the comments, referring to public order laws which govern public gatherings and disruptive behaviour, as top barrister Lord Carlisle said they might have committed a criminal offence.
Former Labour Culture Secretary Sir Ben Bradshaw told LBC: "The BBC should clearly think much more carefully, and will for next year about whether they need a senior political producer at Glastonbury or something similar, to have stopped it happening.
"They should have turned it off. It's good to see that Glastonbury will look into this and learn lessons from it.
"These punk bands – their whole purpose is to provoke. Of course, people will get het up about it, but it's a serious issue and that was inappropriate. There should have been a view to cut that off.
"I am sure the culture secretary will be asking for an explanation from the BBC and why they didn't have plans in place to deal with it."
The group, made up of Bobby Vylan and Bobbie Vylan, also displayed several messages behind them on stage, including condemnations of Israel’s ongoing assault on Gaza.
The message read: “Free Palestine. United Nations have called it a genocide. The BBC calls it a conflict.”
The BBC called the comments “deeply offensive,” and said it decided not to make the performance available on demand. It added that a disclaimer was put on the screen about strong and discriminatory language.
But the broadcaster was lambasted by senior politicians for its coverage of the comments, as Prime Minister Keir Starmer demanded answers.
The Prime Minister said: "There is no excuse for this kind of appalling hate speech.
"I said that Kneecap should not be given a platform and that goes for any other performers making threats or inciting violence.
"The BBC needs to explain how these scenes came to be broadcast."
Health Secretary Wes Streeting also criticised the broadcast, saying the chants were “appalling” and the BBC has “questions to answer” for airing the set.
“I think [the BBC] have got some explaining to do,” he told LBC’s Lewis Goodall, adding: “I’d never heard of [Bob Vylan], I’m sure that played a part in why he did it."
Streeting added that "publicity stunts" like the chants at Glastonbury take away from the "horrors" Palestinian people are currently facing in Gaza and the West Bank.
“Those comments do no service to the Palestinian people, who just this week saw their villages in the West Bank attacked and burned by Israeli settler terrorists.”
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has spoken to BBC director general Tim Davie about Bob Vylan's performance, a government spokesperson said.
They added: "We strongly condemn the threatening comments made by Bob Vylan at Glastonbury.
"The Culture Secretary has spoken to the BBC Director General to seek an urgent explanation about what due diligence it carried out ahead of the Bob Vylan performance, and welcomes the decision not to re-broadcast it on BBC iPlayer."
The Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) said it would be formally complaining to the BBC over its "outrageous decision" to broadcast Bob Vylan.
A spokesperson said: "Our national broadcaster must apologise for its dissemination of this extremist vitriol, and those responsible must be removed from their positions."
The chants referred to the IDF, or Israel Defence Force, which has faced widespread criticism for decades for its unlawful conduct, and more recently has been accused of committing war crimes and genocide in Gaza.
But some have claimed the comments were antisemitic, and that they called for the death of Israelis in general, rather than the army.
Glastonbury organiser Emily Eavis said the chants "crossed the line,” and reminded “everyone involved in the production of the Festival that there is no place at Glastonbury for antisemitism, hate speech or incitement to violence."
Nicole Lampert thought the chants were antisemitic. She told LBC that the BBC should have “stopped” and “censored” the performances of Bob Vylan and Kneecap.
“This was like an afternoon of Jew hate. And at no point was it stopped,” she said, adding: “And that's what should have been and then censored because I'm afraid that that's what we have to do now, because they were aware of this as well.
“That's the problem. The BBC knew that there were problems. He went on the stage with the Palestine flag. So they were aware that it was going to be trouble.”
She said the BBC should have cut their stream, and that “it was only once politicians got involved [that they took the performance down] and it does make you think like who at the BBC thought this was acceptable and thought it was acceptable to go on for hours?”
The BBC has been approached for comment.
But the BBC also faced criticism for cutting their live coverage before Irish rap trio Kneecap took the stage for a high-energy set with several references to Gaza and dozens of Palestinian flags waving in the crowd.
The broadcaster said it decided not to air Kneecap’s set over impartiality concerns, but made the set available on iPlayer – though with some edits.
The Irish group led the crowd in chants of “f*ck Keir Starmer,” after the Prime Minister said the group should not be allowed to perform at the festival, as well as chants of “free, free Palestine.”
The band drew immense crowds, and organisers had to cut off access to the stage 40 minutes before they began their set as it had reached capacity.
This drew comments from those watching the BBC’s coverage of the festival, accusing the broadcaster of censoring the band.
Sharing a picture of the BBC’s listing of acts to play the West Holts Stage, which excluded Kneecap, one viewer said: “BBC can’t even admit that Kneecap are playing Glastonbury. State censorship at its finest.”
BBC can’t even admit that Kneecap are playing Glastonbury. State censorship at its finest. pic.twitter.com/2FByZrjDQU— diarmaid keegan (@dkeego) June 28, 2025
Meanwhile, a Welsh woman named Helen Wilson went viral for streaming Kneecap’s entire set live from her TikTok account, holding her phone in the air for an hour.
She received 1.8 million likes, and said she might have burned her finger from holding her phone as it overheated.
Ms Wilson told the Irish News that the BBC’s decision not to broadcast Kneecap’s set live was a “deliberate act of silence”.
“This is about the genocide in Palestine – this is not even about this festival,” she told the newspaper, adding: “This is about this wide issue that everybody needs to sit up and take notice of.
“This festival has always stood for more than just music; I believe that Glastonbury is about freedom and a resistance, and people come to this festival who do believe that another world is possible.
“I don’t agree with artists being silenced – when institutions avoid politically outspoken artists, I think that it’s up to us, the fans, to make sure their voices are still heard.”
Kneecap member Mo Chara, whose real name is Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, has been charged with a terrorism offence after allegedly displaying a flag in support of Hezbollah at a gig in November last year.
He denies the charge.
