BBC Admits Bob Vylan Were Deemed “High Risk” Before Glastonbury & Apologizes To The Jewish Community

The BBC has admitted that controversial punk duo Bob Vylan were deemed “high risk” before Glastonbury took place over the weekend, while the board has thrown its weight behind Director General Tim Davie and the “swift actions” he took on the day.

BBC Chair Samir Shah and Davie also apologized to “viewers, listeners and particularly the Jewish community” over the debacle.

In a statement on Glastonbury and from Shah to both staff and press, the corporation noted that Bob Vylan were one of seven acts “deemed suitable for live streaming with appropriate mitigations,” despite being in a “high risk” category.

“Prior to Glastonbury, a decision was taken that compliance risks could be mitigated in real time on the live stream – through the use of language or content warnings – without the need for a delay,” said the BBC. “This was clearly not the case.”

Going forwards, any performance deemed high risk will now not be broadcast live or streamed live, the BBC said, while editorial policy support will always be available on site at major music festivals and events.

“Given the failings that have been acknowledged we are taking actions to ensure proper accountability for those found to be responsible for those failings in the live broadcast,” added the BBC. “We will not comment further on those processes at this time.”

The BBC again expressed regret for not cutting the live stream of Bob Vylan, while saying that “warnings appeared on the stream on two occasions and the editorial team took the decision not to cut the feed.” It added that the team on the day had prioritized “stopping the performance from featuring on demand.” The duo chanted “death to the IDF” and complained about working for a “f***ing Zionist” during their set. They are now being investigated by the police, have been dropped by UTA and had U.S. visas revoked.

Today’s acknowledgement that Bob Vylan had already been flagged as “high risk” will likely only lead to more questions for Davie and his team. Since Glastonbury, it has emerged that Davie was present on the day of Bob Vylan and controversial Irish hip-hop trio Kneecap’s performance, and it was Davie who took the decision to remove Bob Vylan’s performance from iPlayer.

Shah backs Davie

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said the BBC has a “problem of leadership” in the wake of Glastonbury but today Shah and the board communicated their full support for Davie.

Shah said the board had met on Tuesday to hear what actions were being taken and the “executive have agreed to put in place a set of strengthened editorial practices and policies for live music programming.”

“The Board fully supports the Director-General and the swift actions taken by him and his team to identify these errors and address them,” said Shah.

He apologized to “all our viewers and listeners and particularly the Jewish community for allowing the ‘artist’ Bob Vylan to express unconscionable antisemitic views live on the BBC.”

Davie this week offered to meet with Jewish staff, many of whom have expressed fury at the debacle. Meanwhile, he is awaiting the report into the controversial Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone documentary, as pressure mounts.

In his note to staff, he also apologized for “offensive and deplorable behaviour appearing on the BBC.”

“I want to say sorry – to our audience and to all of you, but in particular to Jewish colleagues and the Jewish community,” said Davie. “We are unequivocal that there can be no place for antisemitism at the BBC. I and everyone need to ensure that the BBC is a role model for inclusivity and tolerance and we all have a part to play. We are utterly committed to creating an environment where everyone is supported and can do their very best work. Please continue to treat each other with respect and kindness.”