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BBC apologises for ‘high risk’ Bob Vylan’s Glastonbury performance: ‘Offensive and deplorable’
BBC has described the controversial Bob Vylan performance as “offensive and deplorable behaviour” related to antisemitism.
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The BBC has issued a formal apology for allowing the “high risk” act of British rap punk duo Bob Vylan to perform live at the Glastonbury Festival despite internal warnings. The broadcaster, which aired the controversial performance on its platforms, described it as “offensive and deplorable behaviour” related to antisemitism, Variety reported.
Bob Vylan recently came into the spotlight after frontman Bobby Vylan led a crowd at the festival to chant “death, death” to the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF), amid heightened tensions between Israel and Iran.
What did the BBC say?
On Thursday, BBC director-general Tim Davie addressed the controversy in an internal memo to staff members.
“I deeply regret that such offensive and deplorable behaviour appeared on the BBC and want to say sorry – to our audience and to all of you, but in particular to Jewish colleagues and the Jewish community,” he said, per Variety.
Due to the incident, several key changes have been made by the broadcaster to its live streaming protocols for music events.
The British rap punk duo has now been classified as “high risk” after a risk assessment process was applied to all the acts at the Glastonbury Festival. In total, seven performers have been added to this category.
The acts have been deemed suitable for live streaming with “appropriate mitigations.”
Acknowledging failures in the compliance process, the BBC statement noted that prior to the festival, they made a decision to mitigate compliance risks in real time on the live stream, via the use of language or content warnings. However, it was “clearly not the case,” it added.
During the performance, livestreaming was being monitored based on the agreed protocols, as warnings appeared twice on the stream. The editorial team decided not to cut the feed even after escalated concerns. BBC has now termed it as “an error.”
After getting informed about the incident, Davie, who was present at the festival as part of visiting BBC staff, immediately asked the teams to prevent the performance from getting aired in further coverage.
The performance was removed from BBC iPlayer and Sounds, but the live feed was active until 8 PM (local time), according to reports.
BBC chair Samir Shah has also issued a statement and apologised to viewers and listeners, especially the Jewish community, for allowing “Bob Vylan to express unconscionable antisemitic views live on the BBC.”
FAQs:
1. What action has been taken against Bob Vylan?
The group is being investigated by police in connection with the matter.
2. How did the US respond to Bob Vylan's controversial performance?
US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau earlier said that the US State Department has "revoked" visas for Bob Vylan members for their "hateful tirade at Glastonbury".
3. What is IDF?
The Israel Defense Forces, established in 1948, refers to the armed forces of Israel. It comprises the army, navy, and air force.
