LONDON — The BBC and the annual Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts have come under criticism from the British prime minister and broadcasting regulator after a punk-rap band led chants against the Israeli military during a festival performance which was broadcast live on Saturday afternoon.
British punk-rap duo Bob Vylan is now under a criminal investigation in the U.K. after its lead singer, whose stage name is Bobby Vylan (real name Pascal Robinson-Foster), led chants of "Death, death to the IDF" — referring to the Israeli military — during a Glastonbury set.
The performance was streamed live by the BBC on its iPlayer service. Within seconds, the broadcaster added an on-screen warning for viewers about "very strong and discriminatory" language.
But top politicians quickly criticized the broadcaster's decision to air the performance, including Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who said that it contained "appalling hate speech" and that the BBC had "questions to answer."
One opposition lawmaker, Chris Philp, called for the BBC to be prosecuted. The Conservative member of Parliament wrote on X, "By broadcasting his [Bobby Vylan's] vile hatred, the BBC appear to have also broken the law… Our national broadcaster should not be transmitting hateful material designed to incite violence and conflict."
In a statement on Monday, the BBC said it regretted not pulling away from the livestream. It said, "The anti-semitic sentiments expressed by Bob Vylan were utterly unacceptable" and added that it "respects freedom of expression but stands firmly against incitement to violence."
The broadcaster had already decided not to broadcast the Glastonbury performance of Irish-language hip-hop band Kneecap live.
The band has been critical of Israel in the past. This year, the BBC only made available an edited version of Kneecap's performance, in which band members led chants against Prime Minister Keir Starmer and reiterated support for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
Starmer had previously said it was "not appropriate" for Kneecap to play Glastonbury, after one of the band members, Mo Chara, was charged with a terrorism offense, accused of holding up a flag in support of Hezbollah at a London concert.
Speaking in Parliament on Monday, British Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said there were "appalling and unacceptable scenes at Glastonbury on Saturday," referring to Bob Vylan's set.
U.K. police say a criminal investigation has now been launched over both the Bob Vylan and Kneecap performances. A statement from the police force said the investigation would look into whether comments made by either act amounted to a criminal offense, including relating to hate crimes.
Bob Vylan was due to perform in the U.S. later this year. But the Glastonbury appearance will have repercussions for the band's tour plans. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau wrote on X that the members of Bob Vylan would have their visas revoked, adding, "Foreigners who glorify violence and hatred are not welcome visitors to our country."
Glastonbury festival organizers say they are "appalled" by comments made by Bob Vylan, which they said "crossed a line."
Bobby Vylan shared a statement on Instagram after his performance, in which he 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." Alongside the statement was the caption: "I said what I said."
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