The BBC Aired Anti-Jewish Hate Speech and Broadcast It Across the World

The viral footage of British pop-punk duo Bob Vylan leading a crowd of thousands in antisemitic chants at Glastonbury is as disturbing as it is revealing. It shows how far anti-Jewish hatred has penetrated mainstream British culture. And more damningly, it exposes the role of the UK’s public broadcaster in normalizing this climate of hate.

In a performance likened by some to a neo-Nazi rally, frontman Bobby Vylan incited the crowd to chant “Death, death to the IDF,” followed by “Free, free Palestine,” and once again, “Death, death to the IDF.” He then closed with his twist on the now-ubiquitous Hamas slogan: “From the river to the sea, Palestine must be, will be, free.”

The band performed in front of a screen that read: “Free Palestine. United Nations have called it a genocide. The BBC calls it a ‘conflict.’” This, from a band that took its name from Bob Dylan, a Jewish musician who once lived on an Israeli kibbutz, not unlike the ones attacked by Hamas on October 7. Dylan even wrote a song defending Zionism. One wonders if the irony is lost on them, because it certainly wasn’t on us.

Even more chilling was Bobby Vylan’s open call for violence: “We are not pacifist punks here over at Bob Vylan Enterprises. We are the violent punks, because sometimes, you have to get your message across with violence — because that is the only language some people speak.”

Let that sit for a moment. On stage at the UK’s most iconic music festival, a performer openly called for violence, was cheered by a huge crowd, and then broadcast straight into people’s living rooms.

The performance went viral almost instantly. Politicians from across the UK political spectrum condemned it. The police opened an investigation. The government revealed that Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy had contacted the BBC’s Director-General demanding an “urgent explanation” as to why the performance aired.

The opposition Conservative Party chair Kemi Badenoch called the performance “grotesque,” adding: “Glorifying violence against Jews isn’t edgy. Less than two years ago, hundreds were raped and murdered at a music festival. It’s not just the act, it’s the gormless people clapping along and cheering — people with no idea what real terror is.”

And the BBC? It issued a statement several hours later defending its failure to cut the livestream on the grounds that it had informed viewers about “discriminatory language”:

Some of the comments made during Bob Vylan’s set were deeply offensive. During this live stream on iPlayer, which reflected what was happening on stage, a warning was issued on screen about the very strong and discriminatory language. We have no plans to make the performance available on demand.

A warning on screen. That’s their excuse for airing what, without a shred of hyperbole, was a festival performance that descended into something indistinguishable from a hate rally.

Worse still, the BBC knew this could happen. Bob Vylan had already used their Coachella slot earlier this year to lead anti-Israel chants, as had another band invited to Glastonbury: the Northern Irish group Kneecap.

Kneecap also went viral for its Coachella performance, which featured violent anti-Israel messaging. The band is currently under police investigation for a UK show where it waved a Hezbollah flag and shouted “Up Hamas, up Hezbollah.” In light of this, the BBC made the decision not to livestream Kneecap’s Glastonbury set, which, by the way, was scheduled immediately after Bob Vylan.

Yet despite supposedly learning from past mistakes, the BBC still allowed Bob Vylan’s set to air live. Kneecap, too, made its Glastonbury moment about glorifying terrorism, shouting “Free Palestine” and taking a shot at UK politics: “The Prime Minister of your country, not mine, said he didn’t want us to play, so f*** Keir Starmer.”

So far, Kneecap has lost its US representation over its open flirtation with terrorism, but it’s also gained a whole new fan base. The kind that isn’t there for the music, but for the antisemitism. It turns out that being an antisemite in the entertainment industry pays.

Let’s be clear. Bob Vylan doesn’t care about Palestinians. Before October 7 — before more than 1,200 Israelis were butchered by Hamas, hundreds taken hostage, and a music festival turned into a massacre — they hadn’t uttered a word about “Palestine.” But after Kneecap stole their thunder at Coachella, they came to Glastonbury determined to go even further. And they did.

But the real villains here aren’t just the talentless, hateful musicians. The deeper rot lies first with the BBC, which didn’t just fail to act in advance, but continued airing the performance. The corporation’s coverage of Israel has long been a masterclass in bias. Its news division has distorted the Israel–Palestinian conflict so thoroughly that the British public can barely distinguish fact from Hamas propaganda.

Then there are the Glastonbury Festival organizers, who now insist the performance “crossed a line” and say they’re “urgently reminding” artists not to engage in hate speech. A convenient stance, coming from the very people who invited and paid these acts to appear in the first place.

And finally, the UK government, which suddenly claims to be horrified, despite having allowed London to become ground zero for weekly marches calling for Israel’s destruction. Marches filled with “Globalize the Intifada” slogans and placards glorifying terrorism. Police looked away. Ministers stayed silent. Now, they act surprised.

They all helped build this. And now they act shocked that the monster they fed has taken the stage.

On June 30, UK media regulator Ofcom said the BBC has “questions to answer” over why the performance was aired, and is “urgently” seeking more information. In a new statement, the BBC admitted it should have pulled the stream, calling Bob Vylan’s antisemitic comments “utterly unacceptable.” It added: “With hindsight we regret this did not happen,” and said it will review its guidance for live broadcasts.

The author is a contributor to HonestReporting, a Jerusalem-based media watchdog with a focus on antisemitism and anti-Israel bias — where a version of this article first appeared.

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