The BBC has issued a formal apology following Bob Vylan‘s controversial Glastonbury performance, in which they chanted “Free, free Palestine,” and “Death, death to the IDF [Israel Defense Forces].”
“We deeply regret that such offensive and deplorable behaviour appeared on the BBC and want to apologise to our viewers and listeners and in particular the Jewish community,” the broadcaster said in a statement. “We are also unequivocal that there can be no place for antisemitism at, or on, the BBC.”
The BBC admitted that “errors” were made “both in the lead-up to and during Bob Vylan’s appearance,” claiming the London alt-rap duo was “deemed high risk” — alongside six other acts — following a risk assessment that was applied to all performers. Despite this classification, the acts were allowed to perform with “appropriate mitigations.”
“A decision was taken that compliance risks could be mitigated in real time on the live stream — through the use of language or content warnings — without the need for a delay,” the broadcaster wrote. “This was clearly not the case. During the performance, the livestream was monitored in line with the agreed compliance protocols and a number of issues were escalated. Warnings appeared on the stream on two occasions and the editorial team took the decision not to cut the feed. This was an error.”
The BBC went on to write that the Director-General instructed that the performance will not be featured in any future coverage, with no downloads offered via iPlayer or Sounds. But the livestream remained active until after 8 p.m., while they worked on a “technical solution.”
They also announced immediate changes going forward: all future acts classified as “high risk” will automatically not be broadcast or streamed live, Editorial Policy support will always be on site at events “to improve compliance processes and the speed of available advice,” and they’ll provide “more detailed, practical guidance on the threshold for withdrawing a live stream.”
BBC Samir Shah released an additional apology “to all our viewers and listeners and particularly the Jewish community for allowing the ‘artist’ Bob Vylan to express unconscionable antisemitic views live on the BBC.”
The BBC’s statement follows several other developments that have occurred since the Bob Vylan controversy. Glastonbury itself issued a formal statement following the performance, with festival head Emily Eavis stating that the organizers were “appalled” by the comments. The U.S. State Department revoked the duo’s U.S. visas ahead of their fall tour, while they were removed from upcoming European festivals (England’s Radar Festival and France’s Kave Fest). British police have also launched an investigation into their performance.
“We are not for the death of Jews, Arabs or any other race or group of people,” the duo wrote on Instagram. “We are for the dismantling of a violent military machine,” the duo said on Instagram. “A machine whose own soldiers were told to use ‘unnecessary lethal force’ against innocent civilians waiting for aid. A machine that has destroyed much of Gaza. We, like those in the spotlight before us, are not the story. We are a distraction from the story. And whatever sanctions we receive will be a distraction … the more time they talk about Bob Vylan, the less time they spend answering for their criminal inaction. We are being targeted for speaking up. We are not the first. We will not be the last.”
