BBC breached standards by airing Bob Vylan’s hateful Glastonbury set, probe finds

Published on September 25, 2025 at 11:22 PM
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THE BBC breached its standards by airing Bob Vylan’s hateful Glastonbury set, a probe has found.

But critics branded the internal a whitewash after it only “partly upheld” complaints.

Bob Vylan performing on the West Holts Stage at Glastonbury Festival.BBC breached its standards by airing Bob Vylan’s hateful Glastonbury set, a probe has found

It ruled the punk-rap duo’s chants of “death, death to the IDF” — Defence Forces — went beyond “generally accepted standards”.

It also judged the remarks to a baying crowd “can fairly be characterised as antisemitic”.

But it did not believe it broke rules on material “likely to encourage or incite crime”.

The Editorial Complaints Unit said: “In the context of a performance at a music festival, the chanting of slogans can be regarded as primarily an invitation to endorse a particular attitude.”

But critics blasted yesterday’s report as “woefully inadequate” as it rejected the accusations of inciting violence.

Ex-BBC Director Danny Cohen called the chants “chilling and hugely offensive”.

He added: “The BBC claimed ‘death, death to the IDF’ is somehow not incitement to violence, a chant directed against a group of individuals who are largely Jewish.”

Comprised of Ipswich-born , who performs as Bobby Vylan, and Londoner drummer Bobbie Vylan, the band have previously faced calls for them to be arrested and prosecuted.

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