Recommendations of the Editorial team
A performance by the British rap group Bob Vylan at the Glastonbury Festival, in addition to the much criticized show by Kneecap, caused outrage nationwide and has taken political and medial consequences. The band had chanted slogans on stage at the weekend, which many are considered anti -Semitic and glorifying violence. The British government has now expressed hard criticism, the BBC distances itself and the police are examining a possible criminal relevance.
“Death, Death to the IDF” live in the BBC stream
The duo Bob Vylan appeared on one of the main stages of the Glastonbury Festival-and used the appearance for propalestinian and anti-Israel statements. The rapper called “Free, Free Palestine”, but also “Death to the IDF”, “Death, Death of the Israeli Army”. The internationally sharply criticized slogan “From the River to the Sea, Palestine Will BE Free” was also voted on by the musician. This is often understood as a call for the extinction of Israel. Hamas also included the slogan in its basic paper in 2017.
The musicians also criticized with a banner on the stage on which it was read: “Free Palestine. United Nations Have Called It a Genocide. The BBC Calls it a ‘Conflict'” – in German: “Free Palestine. The United Nations called it a genocide. The BBC calls it a ‘conflict’.”
British government reacts to the Glastonbury appearance: BBC under pressure
Explosive: The BBC transferred the concert live. Minister of Culture Lisa Nandy then called for an “urgent explanation” in a phone call with BBC general director Tim Davie how the broadcast could be broadcast. One wants to know how to pursue your editorial duty of care in advance. A spokesman for the ministry publicly criticized the “deeply insulting” content and welcomed that the recording has now been removed from the BBC media library.
A BBC spokesman said that during the broadcast, warned “very strong and discriminatory language”.
Organizers distance themselves – despite flags in the audience
Glastonbury management was also forced to take a position. In a statement to the newspaper “Jewish News” The organizers emphasized: “We do not tolerate hate speech or call for violence by our artists.”
Bob Vylan remains unimpressed – and posts the video itself
The duo itself has so far been unimpressed by the controversy. They published a video of the scene in question on their Instagram channel. There are also numerous Palestinian flags in the audience.
The Israeli embassy in London was “deeply concerned about the normalization of extremist language and the glorification of violence”, as it was In a statement on x called.
The Glastonbury Festival is one of the most famous open-air events in Europe, and around 200,000 visitors were expected this year. However, the festival should survive the debate about freedom of expression, anti -Semitic slogans and journalistic responsibility for a long time.