British rapper Bobbie Vylan’s Glastonbury performance glorifying violence against Israeli soldiers triggers public outrage, BBC apology, and record antisemitic incidents.
The BBC is facing a storm of public fury after airing a Glastonbury Festival performance in which British punk-rap artist Bobbie Vylan chanted “death, death to the IDF,” a slogan widely condemned as antisemitic incitement and glorification of violence against Jewish soldiers defending Israel.
In an interview on the Louis Theroux Podcast, Vylan — whose real name is Pascal Robinson-Foster — bragged that BBC staff praised his performance, saying, “We come off stage… staff at the BBC were like, ‘That was fantastic! We loved that!’” The remarks, first reported by The Telegraph, have reignited questions about institutional bias at the UK’s public broadcaster.
The BBC initially defended the broadcast, claiming the chant did not constitute incitement to violence — even though the lyrics were aired live and replayed on BBC iPlayer for several hours. The decision sparked a wave of outrage from MPs, ministers, and antisemitism watchdogs, accusing the BBC of normalizing hate speech.
After intense pressure, BBC Director-General Tim Davie, who was present at Glastonbury, admitted that “cutting the livestream was an option open to those on the ground,” and later issued a formal apology describing the chant as “antisemitic sentiments and unacceptable.”
But rather than express remorse, Vylan doubled down in his podcast interview, boasting:
“I’m not regretful of it. I’d do it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays.”
The fallout has been swift. The U.S. State Department revoked Bob Vylan’s visas, barring the duo from their planned 20-city U.S. tour for promoting hate and violence. European venues and festivals, including in Germany and Manchester, swiftly canceled upcoming shows, while UK police opened an investigation into potential incitement offenses.
According to the Community Security Trust (CST), the day following Bob Vylan’s performance saw the highest spike in antisemitic incidents recorded in the first half of the year, with 12 separate attacks directly linked to reactions to the Glastonbury broadcast.
Despite the documented rise in antisemitic hate, Vylan denied any responsibility:
“I don’t think I have created an unsafe atmosphere for the Jewish community,” he said.
Jewish groups blasted the remark as callous and dismissive, warning that mainstream normalization of anti-Israel hatred is fueling antisemitism across Britain. Lawmakers called for a Parliamentary inquiry into the BBC’s editorial oversight and its failure to prevent the dissemination of hate speech.
“This is not about free expression,” one MP said. “It’s about publicly funded media giving airtime to antisemitic incitement. The BBC owes Britain’s Jewish community far more than an apology — it owes them accountability.”
