BBC statement in full as Bobby Vylan defends Glastonbury chant with ‘I said what I said’

Amidst standout musical performances, Bobby Vylan became the talk of Glastonbury – and the rest of the UK – when he led chants of “death, death to the IDF” and “free, free Palestine.”

Numerous artists, from CMAT to Kneecap, called for Palestinian freedom during their Glastonbury sets, but the focus was undoubtedly on Bobby Vylan and what the Prime Minister called “appalling hate speech.”

“I said that Kneecap should not be given a platform, and that goes for any other performers making threats or inciting violence,” Keir Starmer said.

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A post shared by Bob Vylan (@bobbyvylan)

Outside of politicians and governing bodies, the response to Bobby Vylan’s Glastonbury set has been predictably divided. Nonetheless, he posted a response on Instagram with the caption: “I said what I said.”

A portion of his statement reads: “As we grow older and our fire possibly starts to dim under the suffocation of adult life and all its responsibilities, it is incredibly important that we encourage and inspire future generations to pick up the torch that was passed to us. Let us display to them loudly and visibly the right thing to do when we want and need change.

“Let them see us marching in the streets, campaigning on ground level, organising online and shouting about it on any and every stage that we are offered. Today it is a change in school dinners, tomorrow it is a change in foreign policy.”

The BBC has since issued a statement about Bobby Vylan

On Monday, Ofcom said it was “very concerned about the live stream of this performance” put on by the BBC, and that the broadcast has “questions to answer.”

In a statement, the BBC responded: “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. We welcome Glastonbury’s condemnation of the performance.

“The team were dealing with a live situation but with hindsight we should have pulled the stream during the performance. We regret this did not happen. 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.”

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Featured image credit: James Veysey/Shutterstock & Bobby Vylan