A newly appointed BBC executive is being blamed for failing to stop a live stream of the Glastonbury anti-Semitic outburst, it is being claimed – as boss Tim Davie is tipped to ‘weather the storm’.
Kate Phillips, the corporation’s chief content officer, is facing questions as to her role in broadcasting Bob Vylan’s set on iPlayer on Saturday.
The punk duo’s singer stirred up the crowd into repeating anti-Israel chants and advocating the killing of Jewish soldiers during an uninterrupted broadcast on the site.
It comes as the UK’s Chief Rabbi weighed in on the scandal yesterday, describing the incident as a ‘national shame’.
Ms Phillips was only given the role permanently on June 18 after a short period as interim chief. A BBC source suggested to the Mail that Ms Phillips should have halted the live stream when it was clear the outburst had descended into anti-Semitism.
The singer chanted ‘Death, death to the IDF [Israel Defence Forces]’ and ‘From the river to the sea… Palestine will be free’, regarded by many Jews as a call for Israel’s elimination.
The BBC source said Ms Phillip’s involvement would take the heat off director-general Mr Davie, who was at the festival.
The source added: ‘Nobody wants Tim to fall for this, he has a big team to sort these problems out so for Kate it wasn’t exactly the ideal start.
A newly appointed BBC executive is being blamed for failing to stop a live stream of Bob Vylan’s Glastonbury anti-Semitic outburst, pictured
Kate Phillips, the corporation’s chief content officer, pictured, is facing questions as to her role in broadcasting the set on iPlayer on Saturday
The BBC source said Ms Phillip’s involvement would take the heat off director-general Tim Davie, pictured, who was at the festival
‘She got the job ten days before Bob Vylan’s performance and that is very much the talk of the BBC right now. Surely some of this is on her?’
Meanwhile, Sir Ephraim Mirvis, the Chief Rabbi, wrote on X: ‘The airing of vile Jew-hatred at Glastonbury, and the BBC’s belated and mishandled response, brings confidence in our national broadcaster’s ability to treat anti-Semitism seriously to a new low.
‘It should trouble all decent people that now one need only couch their outright incitement to violence and hatred as edgy political commentary for ordinary people to not only fail to see it for what it is, but also to cheer it, chant it and celebrate it. Toxic Jew-hatred is a threat to our entire society.’
Bob Vylan yesterday said they were ‘not for the death of Jews, Arabs or any other race or group’.
