The BBC has condemned Bob Vylan’s controversial Glastonbury performance, with the British public broadcaster admitting it should have pulled the live stream over the weekend.
“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,” a BBC spokesperson said in a Monday statement.
“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,” they continued. “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.”
Additionally, UTA has reportedly dropped Bob Vylan as clients and their name is no longer listed on the agency’s website. TheWrap has reached out to United Talent Agency for further comment.
The updates come after Bobby Vylan — who is one half of Bob Vylan with Bobbie Vylan — used their Day 4 performance at Glastonbury Festival 2025 to chant “Death, death to the IDF,” “Free, free Palestine” and “From the river to the sea, Palestine must be free.”
The BBC did end up cutting Kneecap’s performance where they said “F—k Keir Starmer,” in comparison.
The festival already distanced itself from the musical duo on Sunday with the following statement: “Glastonbury Festival was created in 1970 as a place for people to come together and rejoice in music, the arts and the best of human endeavor. As a festival, we stand against all forms of war and terrorism. We will always believe in — and actively campaign for — hope, unity, peace and love.”
“With almost 4,000 performances at Glastonbury 2025, there will inevitably be artists and speakers appearing on our stages whose views we do not share, and a performer’s presence here should never be seen as a tacit endorsement of their opinions and beliefs,” the message continued. “However, we are appalled by the statements made from the West Holts stage by Bob Vylan yesterday. Their chants very much crossed a line and we are urgently reminding everyone involved in the production of the Festival that there is no place at Glastonbury for antisemitism, hate speech or incitement to violence.”
Meanwhile, Bob Vylan issued a statement of his own on Sunday, saying, “As I lay in bed this morning, my phone buzzing non-stop inundated with messages of both support and hatred, I listen to my daughter typing out loud as she fills out a school survey asking for her feedback on the current state of her school dinners. She expressed that she would like healthier meals, more options and dishes inspired by other parts of the world.”
“Listening to her voice her opinions on a matter that she cares about and affects her daily reminds me that we may not be doomed after all. Teaching our children to speak up for the change they want and need is the only way that we make the world a better place,” he continued. “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, organizing 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.”
