BBC regrets live-streaming Glastonbury performance with anti-Israel chant

3 days ago 8

London — The BBC has said it regrets not pulling down its unrecorded watercourse of a show astatine the Glastonbury euphony festival implicit the play that included what the broadcaster calls "utterly unacceptable" chants against Israel's military.

The taxpayer-funded BBC said successful a connection Monday that it regrets not cutting abbreviated its unrecorded streaming awesome aft punk-rap duo Bob Vylan started starring a chant of "Death, decease to the IDF," during their Saturday performance, referring to the Israel Defense Forces.

"The BBC respects state of look but stands firmly against incitement to violence," the statement from the broadcaster said. "The antisemitic sentiments expressed by Bob Vylan were utterly unacceptable and person nary spot connected our airwaves... The [BBC broadcasting] squad were dealing with a unrecorded concern but with hindsight we should person pulled the watercourse during the performance. We regret this did not happen."

The BBC, which is CBS News' spouse web successful the U.K., rapidly acknowledged that the connection utilized connected Saturday was "deeply offensive," but the web was criticized — including by Prime Minister Keir Starmer and members of his furniture —— for not reacting much rapidly aft the chant started.

Glastonbury festival's organizers besides condemned the chant successful a statement, saying: "Their chants precise overmuch crossed a enactment and we are urgently reminding everyone progressive successful the accumulation of the festival that determination is nary spot astatine Glastonbury for antisemitism, hatred code oregon incitement to violence."

On Sunday, Bob Vylan posted a lengthy connection connected their Instagram page, with the caption: "I said what I said."

The duo, who usage signifier names and support their identities anonymous, said their connection was aimed astatine younger generations, whom they said should beryllium shown however to combat for their ain futures.

"Let america show to them loudly and visibly the close happening to bash erstwhile we privation and request change," the set said. "Let them spot america marching successful the streets, campaigning connected crushed level, organizing online and shouting astir it connected immoderate and each signifier that we are offered."

Local constabulary person launched an probe into the chants to find whether immoderate transgression offenses whitethorn person been committed.

Glastonbury is simply a five-day euphony festival that takes spot connected a workplace successful the southwest of England. It is 1 of the largest euphony festivals anyplace successful the world, drafting much than 200,000 ticketholders, and it mostly takes spot each different twelvemonth arsenic the organizers springiness the workplace fields clip to retrieve from the interaction of truthful galore revelers. The lawsuit is hosted and organized by the Eavis family, who inactive ain the farm, and has been moving for astir 55 years.

Bob Vylan's show preceded that of Northern Irish rappers Kneecap, whose acceptable the BBC did not aerial unrecorded owed to erstwhile instances astatine the group's concerts involving alleged comments supporting Hamas and Hezbollah and calling for the decease of Conservative enactment lawmakers.

Kneecap's members person insisted that they "do not, and person never, supported Hamas oregon Hezbollah."

They sent "heartfelt apologies" to the families of 2 British lawmakers who were murdered successful caller years aft their remarks astir Conservative parliamentarians.