The BBC admitted to breaking editorial guidelines when Bob Vylan‘s ‘deeply-offensive’ chant of ‘death to the IDF’ at Glastonbury was broadcast live to millions.
And now controversial musician Bobby Vylan – one half of the punk rap duo – has claimed he was praised by members of the Corporation when he came off stage following his set in July.
The band’s frontman, real name Pascal Robinson-Foster, has said BBC staff on the ground at the event told him that they ‘loved’ his set, and called it ‘fantastic’.
There was a nationwide backlash to the set, which saw Vylan lead the crowd in a chant of ‘death, death to the IDF,’ as well as ‘from the river to the sea’, and used the term ‘f****** Zionists’.
The BBC’s director-general Tim Davie was forced to apologise to the Commons’ culture select committee, and told staff the broadcast was ‘deeply-offensive’ and ‘totally unacceptance.’
But, in his first major interview since the festival, Vylan said BBC staff acted like it was ‘normal’ when they finished performing and went so far as to heap praise on the band.
Controversial musician Bobby Vylan – one half of the punk rap duo Bob Vylan- has claimed he was praised by BBC bosses after his Glastonbury set, despite huge backlash
‘It wasn’t like we came off stage, and everybody was like [he gasps]. It’s just normal,’ he told the Louis Theroux podcast.
‘We come off stage. It’s normal. Nobody thought anything. Nobody. Even staff at the BBC were like “That was fantastic! We loved that!”.’
Vylan, who had his US visa revoked and gigs cancelled in the wake of the scandal, said that, even hours after the performance, he was still being praised by BBC staff.
‘This was a couple hours later because it took us a little while to get back,’ he said.
‘Nobody at the BBC at that time was there like, “oh my gosh”. You know? But it was very normal. And then we got back and then, yeah, like I said, we went and got ice cream.’
The Corporation partially upheld complaints and admitted breaking editorial guidelines in relation to harm and offence.
BBC Chairman Samir Shah said that the decision not to pull the live feed of the performance was ‘unquestionably an error of judgement’.
In a letter to the select committee, Davie admitted there were 550 BBC staff on the ground at the festival and some were authorised to kill the live feed.
There was a nationwide backlash to the set, which saw Vylan lead the crowd in a chant of ‘death, death to the IDF,’ as well as ‘from the river to the sea’, and the term ‘f****** Zionists’
Despite the ensuing furore, Vylan has now said he would lead the same chant again and has no regrets over the decision.
‘Yes, I would do it again. I’m not regretful of it,’ he said.
‘I’d do it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays. I’m not regretful of it at all, like the subsequent backlash that I’ve faced.
‘It’s minimal. It’s minimal compared to what people in Palestine are going through.’
He said that the chant was actually ‘so unimportant’ and the reaction to it was ‘disproportionate’.
When questioned by Theroux as to why he didn’t use ‘f*** the IDF’ instead of ‘Death to the IDF’, Vylan said it all came down to the fact that it rhymed.
‘An end to the oppression that Palestinian people are facing. An end to the apartheid regime that has been created, an end to that,’ he said.
‘End, End the IDF’ does not rhyme, wouldn’t have caught on, would it? You know what I mean?’
He added: ‘Because that is what we are up there to do. We are there to entertain. We are there to play music. I am a lyricist. “Death, Death to IDF” rhymes. Perfect chant.’
Following a request for comment, the BBC referred the Daily Mail to its original statement issued back in July.
The Corporation partially upheld complaints and admitted breaking editorial guidelines in relation to harm and offence
‘We fully understand the strength of feeling regarding Bob Vylan’s live appearance at Glastonbury on the BBC,’ said the BBC in its original statement.
‘We deeply regret that such offensive and deplorable behaviour appeared on the BBC and want to apologise to our viewers and listeners and in particular the Jewish community.
‘We are also unequivocal that there can be no place for antisemitism at, or on, the BBC.
‘It is clear that errors were made both in the lead-up to and during Bob Vylan’s appearance.’
