BBC to stop broadcasting ‘high-risk’ gigs after antisemitic chants at Glastonbury
UK public broadcaster says it will ‘ensure proper accountability’ for team that failed to shut down live-stream of festival set where rap duo Bob Vylan called for ‘Death to the IDF’
Britain’s national broadcaster said Thursday that it would no longer broadcast or stream live any music gig deemed “high risk” after it was widely criticized for showing punk-rap duo Bob Vylan chanting “Death, death to the IDF” onstage at Glastonbury Festival on Saturday.
The BBC had already said it should have cut the stream, and British police have since launched a criminal investigation against Bob Vylan and another anti-Israel act for possible public order offenses. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the BBC for showing the performance, while media regulator Ofcom said the broadcaster had questions to answer.
The BBC has described the chants as antisemitic. Publishing an apology to viewers on Thursday, it said it was taking action, including the policy change over live broadcasts of certain music acts.
“We deeply regret that such offensive and deplorable behavior appeared on the BBC and want to apologize to our viewers and listeners and in particular the Jewish community,” the BBC said in its latest statement.
Before Glastonbury, the BBC had identified Bob Vylan plus six other acts as being high risk, it said.
Bob Vylan, founded in 2017 and known for mixing grime and punk rock, sings about a range of issues including racism, homophobia and the class. The band’s two members, who keep their real names secret for privacy reasons, have previously voiced support for Palestinians.
BREAKING:
Major scandal at the Glastonbury Festival in England.
“Death, death to the IDF” was chanted from the stage by Bob Vylan in front of 200 000 people. Tens of thousands chanted along.
The entire thing was broadcasted live by the BBC to millions of people.
Loads of… pic.twitter.com/LvoPFVQb6v
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) June 28, 2025
The lead vocalist, who goes by the stage name Bobby Vylan, appeared to refer to the weekend performance in a post on Instagram, writing: “I said what I 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,” he added.
The duo’s performance at Glastonbury was monitored, the BBC said, and although more senior staff members were alerted, the editorial team decided not to cut the feed, which the broadcaster said was a mistake.
“We are taking actions to ensure proper accountability for those found to be responsible for those failings in the live broadcast,” the statement added.
Amid the anti-Israel rhetoric from some of the performers at the music festival, which draws some 200,000 people annually, some in the crowd used the tradition of waving large flags during performances as an opportunity to draw attention to the plight of the hostages taken by Hamas terrorists during the October 7, 2023, invasion of southern Israel that triggered the war in Gaza.
They also drew attention to the victims of the October 7 massacre at the Nova music festival, where some 380 people were brutally killed, among the 1,200 people killed in the Hamas attack.
The Times of Israel Community.