The BBC has partly upheld complaints over its decision to stream the punk duo Bob Vylan’s performance at this year’s Glastonbury festival.
The broadcaster’s executive complaints unit (ECU) said that doing so broke editorial guidelines in relation to harm and offence owing to frontman Bobby Vylan’s chant of “death, death to the IDF”, their use of the slogans “from the river to the sea” and “free, free Palestine”, as well as referring to record company executives “in the most abusive terms” as “fucking Zionists”.
“Taken in the round,” the ECU said, their comments could “fairly be characterised as antisemitic”, perpetuating “a certain stereotype of Jewish influence in the entertainment industry”.
However, the set was cleared of being likely to encourage or incite crime. The ECU concluded: “References to ‘free Palestine’ and ‘from the river to the sea’, while viewed by some as implying the disappearance of the state of Israel, can also be regarded as no more than expressions of support for aspirations to a Palestinian state and do not of themselves threaten violent action.
“‘Death, death to the IDF’ is clearly more problematic, but it is directed at an institution rather than individuals, and one which is not defined by ethnic or religious composition.”
It was also cleared of breaching BBC impartiality rules. The ECU said it “took the view that coverage of a music festival is clearly not on the same footing as coverage of news and current affairs; and, while there may be festivals the BBC would not cover on account of their polemical character, a wide tolerance for expressions of opinion by performers or audiences would be in keeping with audience expectations for events it does cover.”
Bob Vylan have repeatedly defended the statements they made at the festival; they also projected a message on stage that read: “Free Palestine – United Nations have called it a genocide – the BBC calls it a ‘conflict’”.
Glastonbury organisers said they were “appalled by the statements made from the West Holts stage by Bob Vylan”.
BBC director general Tim Davie said: “I deeply regret that such offensive and deplorable behaviour appeared on the BBC.”
After the incident, the BBC removed the footage from on-demand services and said it would no longer broadcast live performances it deemed “high risk”. The BBC chair Samir Shah called it “unquestionably an error of judgment”.
Enquiries are continuing in Avon and Somerset police’s investigation into Bob Vylan’s comments at the festival. A spokesperson told the Guardian: “Our investigation team is considering all appropriate legislation, including relating to hate crimes. It is also important we have a full understanding of any legal precedents, which is a complex process, and we are working closely with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) for early legal advice, and with other UK police forces.
“We recognise the strength of public feeling around what took place, and we hope the ongoing enquiries provide reassurance and show the seriousness with which we are treating this investigation.”
The band also had their US visas revoked after Glastonbury.
Earlier this month, a forthcoming gig in the Netherlands was cancelled by the venue after Bobby Vylan was accused of celebrating the killing of Charlie Kirk on stage in Amsterdam. He called the late far-right influencer “an absolute piece of shit of a human being” and said “if you chat shit, you will get banged”.
The Tilburg venue 013 said that his comments went “too far” and pulled the band’s show. Bobby Vylan clarified in a subsequent video: “I did call him a piece of shit, that much is true, but at no point was his death celebrated.”
