AILSA CHANG, HOST:
Glastonbury Music Festival, one of the biggest in the world, has become the focus this year of a political debate in the U.K. As NPR's Fatima Al-Kassab reports from London, the act at the center of the controversy is under criminal investigation.
FATIMA AL-KASSAB, BYLINE: Every year, the BBC broadcasts Glastonbury Festival live to viewers watching at home.
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BOBBY VYLAN: Thank you very much, Glastonbury.
AL-KASSAB: British punk rap duo Bob Vylan took to the stage on Saturday afternoon. The lead singer, whose stage name is Bobby Vylan, started like this...
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VYLAN: (Chanting) Free, free.
UNIDENTIFIED CROWD: (Chanting) Palestine.
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VYLAN: (Chanting) Free, free.
UNIDENTIFIED CROWD: (Chanting) Palestine.
VYLAN: (Chanting) Free, free.
AL-KASSAB: ...And went on to lead chants of - death, death to the IDF - referring to the Israeli army, all streamed live by the BBC. Within seconds, the broadcaster added an on-screen warning about very strong and discriminatory language. But top politicians quickly criticized the decision to air the performance, including Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who said that it contained appalling hate speech and that the BBC had questions to answer. Now the network says it should have done more and that it regrets not pulling away from the livestream. In a statement, the BBC said what it called the antisemitic sentiments expressed by Bob Vylan were utterly unacceptable. The broadcaster did, in fact, decide not to air live another band called Kneecap. It has been critical of Israel in the past, and the BBC this year only made available edited clips of Kneecap's performance. Government Minister Wes Streeting was asked about the Bob Vylan performance on Sunday morning.
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WES STREETING: Well, I thought it was appalling, to be honest, and I think the BBC and Glastonbury have got questions to answer about how we saw such a spectacle on our screens.
AL-KASSAB: There will be no spectacles or shows for Bob Vylan in the U.S. because of the incident. They were due to perform this year. U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau wrote on X that the band would have their visas revoked. British police said in a statement that a criminal investigation has now been launched over the Bob Vylan and Kneecap performances, including for possible hate crimes. Bobby Vylan shared a statement on Instagram after his performance, where he said, teaching our children to speak up for the change they want and need is the only way that we make this world a better place, along with the caption, I said what I said. Fatima Al-Kassab, NPR News, London.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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