Bob Vylan, a punk band, claimed today that they were facing criticism for speaking out after receiving backlash for shouting ‘Death, death to the IDF’ at Glastonbury.
Bobby Vylan, one part of the rap punk duo from the UK, led the crowd at the music festival in Somerset on Saturday in chants that also included ‘Free, free Palestine’.
Their performance at the West Holts Stage was streamed live by the BBC, but the broadcaster later expressed remorse for not halting the broadcast of the show.
The corporation has faced strong criticism for continuing to livestream the performance on iPlayer with on-screen warnings about discriminatory language.
Today, Bob Vylan said in a statement on Instagram: ‘Today, a good many people would have you believe a punk band is the number one threat to world peace. Last week it was a Palestine pressure group, the week before that it was another band.
‘We are not for the death of Jews, Arabs or any other race or group of people. We are for the dismantling of a violent military machine. 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 Government doesn’t want us to ask why they remain silent in the face of this atrocity? To ask why they aren’t doing more to stop the killing? To feed the starving?
‘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. And if you care for the sanctity of human life and freedom of speech, we urge you to speak up too. Free Palestine.’
Irish rap trio Kneecap, including member Liam Og O hAnnaidh who appeared in court last month charged with a terror offence, took to the stage directly after Bob Vylan and led chants of ‘Free Palestine’.
Bob Vylan performing on the West Holts Stage during the Glastonbury Festival on Saturday
Punk band Bob Vylan have said in an Instagram post they are being ‘targeted for speaking up’
Yesterday, Avon and Somerset Police said it had launched a probe into both performances after reviewing video footage and audio recordings, with a senior detective appointed to lead the investigation.
A police spokesman said: ‘This has been recorded as a public order incident at this time while our inquiries are at an early stage.
‘The investigation will be evidence-led and will closely consider all appropriate legislation, including relating to hate crimes.’
US deputy secretary of state Christopher Landau also announced yesterday that Bob Vylan’s American visas had been revoked due to ‘their hateful tirade at Glastonbury’, with the duo scheduled to tour in Chicago, Brooklyn and Philadelphia in October.
Meanwhile it has been revealed that the BBC’s director-general Tim Davie was at Glastonbury when Bob Vylan led the chants, during a visit to meet staff on Saturday afternoon.
A BBC spokesperson said: ‘The director-general was informed of the incident after the performance and at that point he was clear it should not feature in any other Glastonbury coverage.’
News of Mr Davie’s presence at the festival comes as the Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis berated the BBC for what he called ‘the airing of vile Jew-hatred’ and the broadcaster’s ‘belated and mishandled response’.
Bob Vylan crowd surfs during his performance at the Glastonbury Festival on Saturday
In front of a Palestinian flag, Bobby Vylan of Bob Vylan performs on the West Holts Stage
Sir Ephraim wrote on X: ‘This is a time of national shame. The airing of vile Jew-hatred at Glastonbury and the BBC’s belated and mishandled response, brings confidence in our national broadcaster’s ability to treat antisemitism seriously to a new low.
‘It should trouble all decent people that now, one need only couch their outright incitement to violence and hatred as edgy political commentary, for ordinary people to not only fail to see it for what it is, but also to cheer it, chant it and celebrate it.
‘Toxic Jew-hatred is a threat to our entire society.’
Broadcasting regulator Ofcom said it was ‘very concerned’ by the BBC’s decision to continue livestreaming the performance – and the Culture Secretary claimed the issue should have been foreseeable and constituted ‘a problem of leadership’ for the BBC.
In a statement yesterday, the BBC said: ‘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 livestream of the West Holts stage on BBC iPlayer.
Bobby Vylan crowd surfing while performing on the West Holts Stage at Glastonbury
Bobby Vylan performs on the West Holts Stage at Worthy Farm in Pilton, Somerset
‘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.’
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy told the Commons yesterday the Government was ‘exasperated’ with the ‘lack of account from the leadership’ at the BBC.
Ms Nandy said the incident at Worthy Farm had raised ‘very, very serious questions at the highest levels of the BBC about the operational oversight and the way in which editorial standards are understood’, adding that she wanted to see ‘rapid action’ from the broadcaster.
Cabinet minister Jonathan Reynolds said the scenes at Glastonbury raised wider concerns about society.
He told BBC Radio 4’s Today: ‘There are some lessons, I think, for broadcasters from this, but let’s also not shy away from the issue, which is people in a crowd glorifying violence.
‘I don’t think it’s something we’d associate with any music festival, but it’s a wider societal problem.’
Avon and Somerset Police said they were also reviewing Irish rap trio Kneecap’s performance
He added: ‘It’s possible, I think, to be completely concerned by the scenes in Gaza and not stray into the kind of behaviour and endorsement that we saw with that performance.
‘And I’m deeply shocked to be honest, that people would even not realise what I think they’re participating in when they do that.’
Glastonbury Festival organisers also condemned Bob Vylan’s chants, saying it was ‘appalled’ by what was said on stage, adding ‘there is no place at Glastonbury for antisemitism, hate speech or incitement to violence’.
Bob Vylan formed in Ipswich in 2017 and have released four albums addressing issues such as racism, masculinity and class.
Bobby Vylan is the stage name of Pascal Robinson-Foster, 34, according to reports. His bandmate drummer uses the alias Bobbie Vylan.
In a previous statement posted to Instagram yesterday, he said: ‘Teaching our children to speak up for the change they want and need is the only way that we make this world a better place.
‘As we grow older and our fire starts to possibly dim under the suffocation of adult life and all its responsibilities, it is incredibly important that we encourage and inspire future generations to pick up the torch that was passed to us.’
