The BBC admitted Monday that it should have cut the livestream of Bob Vylan’s Glastonbury performance when the punk-rap band started “antisemitic” death chants against Israeli troops — which has also left the UK duo facing a possible ban from the US.
The broadcaster was widely ripped for continuing to air the duo’s live performance Saturday even after they started spewing antisemitic rhetoric and urged the crowds to scream “death to the IDF.”
The BBC, which broadcasts the festival live each year, had issued a warning on screen as the set was being streamed, but conceded Monday it should have gone further.
“The antisemitic sentiments expressed by Bob Vylan were utterly unacceptable and have no place on our airwaves,” the public broadcaster said in a statement.
“The team were dealing with a live situation but with hindsight we should have pulled the stream during the performance,” the BBC added.
“We regret this did not happen.”
The national outlet added that it “respects freedom of expression but stands firmly against incitement to violence.”
The Trump administration is now weighing whether to revoke the group’s visa ahead of an upcoming tour in the US this fall, a senior official told the Daily Wire.
“As a reminder, under the Trump Administration, the US government will not issue visas to any foreigner who supports terrorists,” the official said.
In the UK, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Glastonbury organizers were among those to blast the performance, saying they were appalled by the group’s onstage antics.
Police, too, said they were considering whether to launch a probe.
“Video evidence will be assessed by officers to determine whether any offenses may have been committed that would require a criminal investigation,” Avon and Somerset Police, in western England where the festival is held, said on X.
Bob Vylan’s show took place just before controversial Irish rap trio, Kneecap, played to a huge crowd — leading chants against Starmer and also taking aim at Israel.
“There is no excuse for this kind of appalling hate speech,” Starmer said in a statement. “I said that Kneecap should not be given a platform and that goes for any other performers making threats or inciting violence.”
“The BBC needs to explain how these scenes came to be broadcast,” he added.
