BBC To No Longer Livestream 'High Risk' Performances After Bob Vylan Set At Glastonbury

Following this year’s Glastonbury festival, which, like every year, was broadcast live on the BBC and its streaming service, iPlayer, the BBC has revealed that it will no longer live stream “high-risk performances.”

The decision comes after the BBC came under fire for broadcasting Bob Vylan’s controversial performance on Saturday (28 June). The punk duo, comprising Bobby and Bobbie Vylan, ripped through a 13-song set.

However, problems arose when Bobby Vylan dedicated Pretty Songs to all the artists at Glastonbury who showed support for Palestine and led an incendiary chant against the Israel Defence Forces, where he said, “Death to the IDF.”

Bob Vylan were bringing attention to the unfolding devastation in Gaza, which the International Court of Justice (ICJ) has ruled that there is a “plausible case of genocide” being committed by Israel against Palestinians in Gaza.

Israel has repeatedly denied it is committing genocide in Gaza, including late last year, when Human Rights Watch and Médecins Sans Frontières accused Israel of genocidal acts and ethnic cleansing in the territory, as reported by SBS News.

As a result of Bobby Vylan’s comments capturing global attention, Bob Vylan have been pulled from multiple festivals, dropped by their agent United Talent Agency (UTA), investigated by Somerset Police, and had their US visas revoked. Glastonbury organisers also said they were “appalled” by the chant.

The BBC has received criticism for airing the set, and due to the ongoing controversy, it won’t be livestreaming performances deemed “high risk” in the future.

In a statement, the BBC made an apology to its viewers, listeners, and the Jewish community, stating that “there can be no place for anti-Semitism at, or on, the BBC,” per NME.

The broadcaster added that over the weekend, there were “errors made both in the lead-up to and during Bob Vylan’s appearance,” including the decision to livestream their set despite them being flagged as a “high risk” act and continuing the broadcast when things escalated.

The BBC will now introduce new changes, such as not allowing “any music performances deemed high risk to be broadcast live or streamed live.”

Bands including Soft Play and Amyl And The Sniffers have stood up for Bob Vylan following the coverage of Bobby Vylan’s chant and the ensuing controversy this week.

Taking to their Instagram Stories, the Aussie punks wrote, “The British media in a frenzee about Bob Vylan & Kneecap but artists all weekend at Glastonbury from pop to rock to punk to rap to djs spoke up on stage & there were tonnes of flags on every streamed set.

“Trying to make it look like a couple of isolated incidents and a couple of ‘bad bands’ so that it appears the public isn’t as anti genocide as it is, and trying to make it look like Bob and kneecap are one offs, instead of that the status quo has shifted majorly and that people are concerned and desperate for our govs to listen.”

They continued, “And if you don't want politics in music don't blame the musician blame the politicians and journalists, and the political landscape in general, for not doing their job, there'll just be more n more of it until it stops.”