BBC apologises to Jewish community and vows never to broadcast 'high risk' acts after Glastonbury anti-Semitism storm
The BBC will no longer broadcast live music performances deemed "high risk" following Bob Vylan’s controversial appearance at Glastonbury 2025.
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The broadcaster has been widely criticised after it did not pull the plug on the punk rap duo's performance after frontman Bobby Vylan, whose real name is Pascal Robinson-Foster led the Glasto crowd in a chant of "death to the IDF [Israel Defence Forces]".
The band's Saturday afternoon performance, which was live streamed by the Beeb, sparked an anti-Semitism backlash and raised questions about the Corporation's coverage of the festival.
Responding to the criticism on Thursday, BBC bosses admitted Bob Vylan were assessed as "high risk" before their performance at the West Holts Stage, but were "deemed suitable for live streaming with appropriate mitigations".
However, the BBC added that this was "clearly not the case" and apologised to the Jewish community for allowing the livestream to go ahead.
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Read more: Who are Bob Vylan?
In a fresh statement, the BBC said: "We fully understand the strength of feeling regarding Bob Vylan's live appearance at Glastonbury on the BBC.
"We deeply regret that such offensive and deplorable behaviour appeared on the BBC and want to apologise to our viewers and listeners and in particular the Jewish community. We are also unequivocal that there can be no place for antisemitism at, or on, the BBC.
"It is clear that errors were made both in the lead-up to and during Bob Vylan's appearance. We think it's important to set out some of the detail around the streaming of this performance.
"Bob Vylan were deemed high risk following a risk assessment process applied to all acts appearing at Glastonbury. Seven acts including Bob Vylan were included in this category and they were all deemed suitable for live streaming with appropriate mitigations.
"Prior to Glastonbury, a decision was taken that compliance risks could be mitigated in real time on the live stream - through the use of language or content warnings - without the need for a delay. This was clearly not the case.
"During the performance, the live stream was monitored in line with the agreed compliance protocols and a number of issues were escalated. Warnings appeared on the stream on two occasions and the editorial team took the decision not to cut the feed. This was an error."
The rap duo - made up of vocalist Pascal Robinson-Foster and drummer Wade Laurence George - were due to perform at the O2 Victoria Warehouse, Trafford Park, in Manchester on Saturday - as part of the RADAR Festival.
They were also set to perform at French festival Kave Fest on Sunday, but organisers of both events said today their appearance there had been pulled too.
In a brief one line statement on the RADAR Festival Instagram site, organisers said: "Bob Vylan will not be appearing at RADAR Festival this weekend."
The band later shared the festival’s statement on their Instagram story, with a caption that read: “Silence is not an option. We will be fine, the people of Palestine are hurting. Manchester we will be back.”
Bob Vylan had also been due to perform in America later this year, however their visas have since been revoked.
They have also been dropped by their agents and a criminal investigation launched into footage of their set at Glastonbury, alongside that of Kneecap.
Responding to the criticism, the band released a statement on Tuesday claiming that they are being "targeted for speaking up" after complaints were made about their Glastonbury set.
Writing on Instagram on Tuesday, Bob Vylan said: "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."