A BBC spokesperson has described Bob Vylan’s Glastonbury set today as “deeply offensive” and said it won’t be making it available on demand.
As we reported earlier this evening, the BBC tried to skirt controversial Irish band Kneecap by not showing the group’s Glastonbury set as part of its live wall-to-wall Glastonbury coverage today, but instead it was English punk duo Bob Vylan whose live performance on iplayer created a particular stir.
British duo Bob Vylan led thousands of crowd-members in chants of “Death, Death To The IDF” [Isreal Defence Force] and “Free, Free Palestine” during their set. The packed crowd was studded with Palestinian flags.
The band had a large message for fans on stage: “Free Palestine. United Nations have called it a genocide. The BBC calls it a “conflict””. They also also reiterated the controversial slogan: “From the river to the sea, Palestine must be, will be, free.”
In response, a BBC spokesperson has told Deadline this evening: “Some of the comments made during Bob Vylan’s set were deeply offensive. During this live stream on iPlayer, which reflected what was happening on stage, a warning was issued on screen about the very strong and discriminatory language. We have no plans to make the performance available on demand.”
The performance inevitably sparked both outcry and applause on social media.
Kneecap performed its own set to a capacity crowd shortly after Bob Vylan and led the crowd in chants of “Fuck Keir Starmer” and “Free Palestine”. The UK Prime Minister had recently said it was “inappropriate” for the band to play at the festival given the recent legal issues the group has encountered.
Some of the context here is the ongoing catastrophic loss of life in Gaza and the ongoing hostage situation in the territory. More than 58,000 people have been reported killed in the Gaza war, at least 56,000 of those being Palestinian, according to local reports. 80% of the dead are said to be civilians. At least 72 people have been killed in Israeli strikes across Gaza this weekend, health staff have said. The UN has reported that at least 410 Palestinians have been killed seeking food since Israel lifted an 11-week aid blockade on 19 May. Meanwhile, there are understood to be 50 hostages left in captivity, of whom Israel believes 27 are dead.
