Chief rabbi attacks BBC for airing ‘vile Jew hate’ at Glastonbury

The UK’s chief rabbi has strongly criticised “the airing of vile Jew-hate at Glastonbury” after a live broadcast of Bob Vylan’s performance at the festival went out on the BBC, during which the band’s singer led the crowd in chants of “death, death to the IDF [Israel Defense Forces]”.

Writing on X, Sir Ephraim Mirvis wrote: “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.”

Speaking in Parliament on Monday, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy expressed concern over the situation, saying about the BBC: “When there is one editorial failure, it is something that must be gripped; where there are several, it becomes a problem of leadership.”

She added: “This government supports the BBC… that is why we are so disappointed that this has happened and have been so exasperated with the lack of account from the leadership not just about this, but about a previous Gaza documentary and a number of other issues.

“The BBC is one of the most important institutions in our country and that is why it is held to the highest of standards.”

Bob Vylan posted on Instagram on Monday, saying: “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.”

They said that “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.”

BBC director general Tim Davie was at Glastonbury for a few hours on the day of Bob Vylan’s performance.

The corporation said he was “informed of the incident and at that point he was clear it should not feature in any other Glastonbury coverage”.

Earlier on Monday, the BBC said: “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.”

The corporation said it would “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”, and labelled remarks made during the performance antisemitic.

The BBC’s editorial guidelines say editors should “assess the risk of a problem arising in our live output”, ranging from a local radio phone-in to high-profile events like music festivals or sporting fixtures, or breaking news or stories of a sensitive nature, such as a siege.

During their set, Bob Vylan’s singer Pascal Robinson-Foster, who performs under the name Bobby Vylan, also referenced a record label boss he used to work for.

That boss would “speak very strongly about his support for Israel” and put his name to a letter urging Glastonbury to cancel Irish-language rap trio Kneecap’s performance, the musician said.

“Who do I see on that list of names but that bald-headed [expletive] I used to work for. We’ve done it all, all right? From working in bars to working for [expletive] Zionists.”

A criminal investigation was launched on Monday over performances by both Bob Vylan and Kneecap at Glastonbury on Saturday, Avon and Somerset Police have said.

They have not specified which parts of Bob Vylan’s or Kneecap’s sets could be subject to the criminal investigation.

The force said it had appointed a senior detective to investigate whether comments made by either act amounted to a criminal offence after reviewing footage.

A statement added: “This has been recorded as a public order incident at this time while our enquiries are at an early stage.”

Both members of Bob Vylan – who were due to embark on a tour of America later this year – have had their US visas revoked, it is understood.

Ms Nandy also told MPs she immediately called the BBC’s director general after the set was broadcast.

She said outstanding questions remain, including why the feed “wasn’t immediately cut”, why it was broadcast live “given the concerns regarding other acts in the weeks preceding the festival”, and what due diligence was done before deciding to put Bob Vylan on TV.

“When the rights and safety of people and communities are at risk, and when the national broadcaster fails to uphold its own standards, we will intervene,” she added, and said she will continue to speak to the BBC in the coming days.

Meid aregulator Ofcom also issued a statement, saying: “We are very concerned about the live stream of this performance, and the BBC clearly has questions to answer.

“We have been speaking to the BBC over the weekend and we are obtaining further information as a matter of urgency, including what procedures were in place to ensure compliance with its own editorial guidelines.”

Ofcom’s role includes regulating the BBC’s editorial standards and complaints, and working to protect fair and effective competition.

Ofcom’s own broadcast rules include protecting members of the public from harmful and/or offensive material.

Part of their code also covers regulating material that is likely to incite crime or disorder, reflecting the watchdog’s duty to prohibit the broadcast of this type of programming.

Bob Vylan are due to perform at the Radar festival in Manchester on 5 July.

A Greater Manchester Police spokesperson said: “We are aware that Bob Vylan will be performing in Manchester at the weekend.

“Greater Manchester is famous for promoting music of all genres and we welcome all artists to our region. However, we will act immediately on any reports of commentary or actions that could be breaking the law.”

Meanwhile, an MP said on Monday that the row over Bob Vylan’s performance at the Glastonbury Festival was a distraction from talking about the ongoing “actual violence” in Gaza.

Ellie Chowns, Green Party MP for North Herefordshire, who attended the festival to give a talk, stressed that she completely disagreed with the punk duo urging “death” to Israeli troops, but criticised the amount of coverage the incident has had.

“Incitement to violence is totally the opposite of my politics and I completely disagree with that: whoever it comes from, wherever it’s done,” she said.