Kneecap, Bob Vylan at Glastonbury: Police probe festival performances

Ofcom, the UK’s broadcasting regulator, said it was “very concerned” about the BBC livestream and said the broadcaster “clearly has questions to answer”.

The BBC said earlier in its defence that it had issued a warning on screen about “very strong and discriminatory language” during its livestream of Bob Vylan’s act.

US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said the visas for Bob Vylan’s two members – who both use stage names for privacy reasons – have been revoked.

“Foreigners who glorify violence and hatred are not welcome visitors to our country,” Landau said in a social media post.

Starmer said the BBC must explain “how these scenes came to be broadcast.”

Bob Vylan, which formed in 2017, have released four albums mixing punk, grime and other styles with lyrics that often address issues including racism, masculinity and politics.

In a statement posted on social media, singer Bobby Vylan said he was inundated with messages of both support and hatred.

“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,” he wrote.

Bob Vylan performed on Saturday afternoon just before Kneecap, another band that has drawn controversy for its pro-Palestinian stance.

Kneecap led a huge crowd in chants of “free Palestine” at the festival. They also aimed an expletive-laden chant at Starmer, who has said he didn’t think it was “appropriate” for Kneecap to play Glastonbury after one of its members was charged under the Terrorism Act.

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Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, was charged with supporting a proscribed organisation for allegedly waving a Hezbollah flag at a concert in London last year.

On Saturday, a member of the group suggested fans “start a riot” outside his bandmate’s upcoming court appearance – though he then said “No riots, just love and support, and support for Palestine”.

The BBC had already taken a decision not to broadcast Kneecap’s Glastonbury performance live, though it did make available an unedited version of the set to its festival highlights page on BBC iPlayer service.

The Israeli embassy to the UK said at the weekend it was “deeply disturbed by the inflammatory and hateful rhetoric expressed on stage at the Glastonbury Festival”.

The acts were among 4000 that performed in front of some 200,000 music fans this year at the festival in southwest England.

AP

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