The BBC has been heavily criticized by the United Kingdom government after it broadcast a rap group leading a "Death to the IDF" chant at the Glastonbury Festival on Saturday, the Telegraph reported.
The incident occurred ahead of a performance by Kneecap, an Irish rap group known for its pro-Palestine stance. Festivalgoers were seen waving Palestinian flags, with some reports estimating that thousands joined in chanting against the IDF.
British rapper Bob Vylan took to the stage and repeated the chant during his set, while voicing support for Kneecap.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy called the BBC director-general, Tim Davie, and demanded an explanation as to why the performance was broadcast live.
"We strongly condemn the threatening comments made by Bob Vylan at Glastonbury," a spokesperson for Nandy said.
"The Culture Secretary has spoken to the BBC director-general to seek an urgent explanation about what due diligence it carried out ahead of the Bob Vylan performance, and welcomes the decision not to re-broadcast it on BBC iPlayer."
“Whilst the BBC doesn’t ban artists, our plans ensure that our programming meets our editorial guidelines," the BBC said in a statement. "We don’t always live stream every act from the main stages and look to make an on-demand version of Kneecap’s performance available on our digital platforms, alongside more than 90 other sets.”
Avon and Somerset Police had later stated that they will be looking through video footage, comments by Kneecap, and Vylan.
Vylan led the "Free Palestine" chant, followed by the "Death, death to the IDF" chant.
"Some of the comments made during Bob Vylan's set were deeply offensive," a BBC spokesperson told Deadline on Saturday evening. "During this live stream on iPlayer, which reflected what was happening on stage, a warning was issued on screen about the very strong and discriminatory language. We have no plans to make the performance available on demand.
During his set, he started to rant about a Jewish record company boss whom he had worked for in the past.
"We are aware of the comments made by acts on the West Holts Stage at Glastonbury Festival," the police statement read. "Video evidence will be assessed by officers to determine whether any offenses may have been committed that would require a criminal investigation."
"Recently, a list was released of people trying to stop our mates Kneecap from performing here today," he said. "And who do I see on that f***ing list, but that bald-headed c*** I used to f***ing work for."
Condemning the chants
Israel in the UK, the official X/Twitter account for the Embassy of Israel in London, condemned the chant on X, saying, "The Embassy of Israel in the United Kingdom is deeply disturbed by the inflammatory and hateful rhetoric expressed on stage at the Glastonbury Festival.
"Freedom of expression is a cornerstone of democracy. But when speech crosses into incitement, hatred, and advocacy of ethnic cleansing, it must be called out - especially when amplified by public figures on prominent platforms."
"Chants such as 'Death to the IDF,' and 'From the river to the sea' are slogans that advocate for the dismantling of the State of Israel and implicitly call for the elimination of Jewish self-determination," they wrote. "When such messages are delivered before tens of thousands of festivalgoers and met with applause, it raises serious concerns about the normalization of extremist language and the glorification of violence.
"We call on Glastonbury Festival organizers, artists, and public leaders in the UK to denounce this rhetoric and reject all forms of hatred."
The Labour Friends of Israel spokesperson spoke with the Telegraph about the incident, calling it "disgusting".
"To watch chants at Glastonbury less than two years later calling for incitement to murder is simply disgusting," he said. "It shows that, for extremists in the anti-Israel movement, the goal isn't peace but death and destruction."
"This chant was nothing less than incitement to violence against the world's only Jewish state," former director of the BBC Television, Danny Cohen, said. "That something like this might happen could easily have been foreseen by the BBC, and measures could have been taken to prevent its broadcast.
"Allowing it to be broadcast is a very serious failure, and further evidence that BBC management are blind to their responsibility to Britain's Jewish community and all license-fee payers."