BBC slammed for praising Glastonbury 'bleeping bandits' days after Bob Vylan’s anti-Semitic tirade
Questions have been raised over a BBC article praising Glastonbury’s ‘bleeping bandits’ that was published in the midst of an anti-Semitism storm sparked by one of the acts.
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In a piece on the BBC's website titled: Glastonbury's best bits: Capaldi's comeback, celebrity sightings and lots of spoons, the BBC put together a list of 15 of the ‘best’ moments from the festival.
The article sparked criticism for praising a team of BBC employees dedicated to ‘avoiding the wrath’ of Ofcom.
The piece states: “There's an entire team at Glastonbury dedicated to creating "broadcast safe" versions of the music for daytime radio, to avoid the wrath of Ofcom.
“They sit in a cramped office, carefully editing out curse words. And, as the taboos around explicit language have weakened, their job's only become harder.
"Did you see the swear sheet for Self Esteem?" I heard one sigh on Friday night.
"After the second mother****** I was like, 'This is going to be a long night'."
A criminal probe has been launched into a performance by punk rap duo Bob Vylan which the BBC itself yesterday called anti-Semitic.
On Monday, a BBC spokesperson said: "The BBC respects freedom of expression but stands firmly against incitement to violence.
"The antisemitic sentiments expressed by Bob Vylan were utterly unacceptable and have no place on our airwaves.
"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."
The culture secretary has also weighed in on the controversy, suggesting there is "a problem of leadership" at the BBC.
im Davie - the BBC director general - was dragged into the row, after it was revealed he was personally consulted on a controversial Glanstonbury performance that saw punk rap duo Bob Vylan chant "death to the IDF”.
Lisa Nandy was seen to criticise the corporation over its handling of the situation, choosing not to pull the livestream despite the controversial chants from frontman Bobby Vylan - real name is Pascal Robinson-Foster.
Ms Nandy condemned the "appalling and unacceptable scenes" at Glastonbury, insisting the government would not tolerate antisemitism.
Ms Nandy also revealed she had called Tim Davie in the hours following the incident to ask why the broadcast had taken place.
The performance is now subject to a criminal investigation and has been recorded as a public order incident.
Avon and Somerset Police confirmed they were investigating two groups Bob Vyland and Kneecap after video and audio footage had been examined.
Posting on X, the force said: "Video footage and audio from Bob Vylan and Kneecap's performances at Glastonbury Festival has been reviewed.
"Following the completion of that assessment process we have decided further enquiries are required and a criminal investigation is now being undertaken.
"A senior detective has been appointed to lead this investigation.
"This has been recorded as a public order incident at this time while our enquiries are at an early stage."
The BBC has said it ‘regrets’ not stopping the stream.
During Boy Vylan’s set he repeatedly shouts “Death, death, to the IDF." The crowds then parrot the chant back at him.
Michal Cotler-Wunsh, Israel's Special Envoy for Combatting Antisemitism, told LBC this morning the scenes looked like a Hitler youth rally.
“If there were death chants that were then echoed with exhilaration by thousands in the crowd, would we laud that as successful?”
She said Glastonbury “is supposed to be a festival of love, but instead was a festival of hate.
“And there is nothing that the BBC can say about not pulling the plug, as you said, and as was clearly stipulated, immediately, instead broadcasting the exhilaration of death chants, like a youth Hitler Youth rally to the millions of viewers of the BBC.