BBC says it should have pulled livestream of Glastonbury over ‘antisemitic’ chants

The BBC says it should have pulled livestream of rap group Bob Vylan’s performance at Glastonbury over “antisemitic” chants.

In a statement, the BBC says: “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.”

Bob Vylan had led crowds attending the festival in chants of “Free, free Palestine” and “Death, death to the IDF.”

“The BBC respects freedom of expression but stands firmly against incitement to violence,” the statement says. “The antisemitic sentiments expressed by Bob Vylan were utterly unacceptable and have no place on our airwaves.”

“In light of this weekend, we will look at our guidance around live events so we can be sure teams are clear on when it is acceptable to keep output on air,” the statement continues.

The statement came after Britain’s communications regulator Ofcom said it had asked for clarification from the BBC over why the comments were broadcast.

“We are very concerned about the live stream of this performance, and the BBC clearly has questions to answer,” an Ofcom spokesperson says.