The BBC “regrets” not pulling Bob Vylan’s live stream

Posted On June 30, 2025June 30, 2025

The BBC has confirmed in a recent statement that it regrets not pulling the live stream of punk duo Bob Vylan’s performance at the Glastonbury Festival. 

Bob Vylan took to the West Holts stage on June 28th and led pro-Palestine chants. One which has particularly upset a number of people and finds itself at the heart of this ongoing controversy is “death to the IDF”.

Glastonbury Festival was one of the first to condone Bob Vylan’s chants, as they published a statement on social media saying that their comments “crossed a line”. They said that while they appreciate not every performer will share the same views as them, they thought Bob Vylan took things a step too far. 

“With almost 4,000 performances at Glastonbury 2025, there will inevitably be artists and speakers appearing on our stages whose views we do not share,” the festival wrote, “And a performer’s presence here should never be seen as a tacit endorsement of their opinions and beliefs.”

They continued: “We are appalled by the statements made from the West Holts stage by Bob Vylan yesterday. Their chants very much crossed a line and we are urgently reminding everyone involved in the production of the Festival that there is no place at Glastonbury for antisemitism, hate speech or incitement to violence.”

The BBC have welcomed Glastonbury’s condemnation of the performance. In a statement released today, the broadcaster said, “The BBC respects freedom of expression but stands firmly against incitement to violence.”

They continued, “The antisemitic sentiments expressed by Bob Vylan were utterly unacceptable and have no place on our airwaves. We welcome Glastonbury’s condemnation of the performance.” 

The BBC also confirmed that, in hindsight, they didn’t deal with the situation appropriately. They admit they were dealing with a live situation, but in retrospect, they believe they should have pulled the performance as soon as the chants were made.

“The team were dealing with a live situation but with hindsight we should have pulled the stream during the performance,” they said, “We regret this did not happen […] 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.”

Despite the controversy, Bob Vylan stand behind their comments. In a post on social media titled “I said what I said,” the band’s vocalist, Bobby Vylan, has confirmed there is a need for the older generation to continue speaking out to set an example for the younger generation.

“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,” he said. “As we grow older and our fire possibly starts to dim under the suffocation of adult life and all its responsibilities, it is incredibly important that we encourage and inspire future generations to pick up the torch that was passed to us.”

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