UK police on Monday launched a felony investigation into remarks made by rap teams Kneecap and Bob Vylan during the Glastonbury competition, as the US revoked visas for the latter after its frontman led an anti-Israel chant.
Bob Vylan, a London-based duo which typically tackles racism in its tracks, was slammed by worldwide and British politicians after the group led the crowds in chants of “Death to the IDF” — the Israeli army.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said after the show there was “no excuse for this kind of appalling hate speech”.
Avon and Somerset Police in southwest England said a “criminal investigation is now being undertaken” after reviewing “video footage and audio” of both Kneecap and Bob Vylan.
“The investigation will be evidence-led and will closely consider all appropriate legislation, including relating to hate crimes,” police said in a assertion.
The BBC apologised for not pulling the dwell stream of Bob Vylan’s efficiency at the competition over the weekend.
“With hindsight we should have pulled the stream during the performance. We regret this did not happen,” the broadcaster said.
It added that the “antisemitic sentiments expressed by Bob Vylan were utterly unacceptable and have no place on our airwaves”.
Media watchdog Ofcom said it was “very concerned” and the BBC had questions to reply.
“We have been speaking to the BBC over the weekend and we are obtaining further information as a matter of urgency,” it added.
Israel’s deputy overseas minister Sharren Haskel called for the public broadcaster to be investigated over the time it took for the video to be eliminated from the BBC’s online streaming platform.
“I think that the latest (BBC) statement is absolutely pathetic,” Haskel informed Times Radio.
– ‘Not welcome guests’ –
Controversy descended on this 12 months’s competition before it even started over the inclusion of Kneecap, one of whose members was just lately charged under terror laws.
During their show on Saturday, one Kneecap member also wore a T-shirt devoted to the Palestine Action Group, which is about to be banned under UK terror legal guidelines.
The chants about Israel’s army were led by Bob Vylan’s frontman who goes by the stage title Bobby Vylan, and were broadcast dwell on the BBC.
Bob Vylan also chanted “free, free Palestine” and “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” — an expression which some see as a call for Israel’s destruction, but others say calls for an finish to Israeli occupation in Gaza and the West Bank.
The United States on Monday said it would revoke visas for Bob Vylan’s members, forward of its American tour dates scheduled later this 12 months.
“Foreigners who glorify violence and hatred are not welcome visitors to our country,” Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau posted on X.
– ‘Crossed a line’ –
Causing a potential political headache for the UK, the Israel embassy issued a assertion saying “it was “deeply disturbed by the inflammatory and hateful rhetoric expressed on stage at the Glastonbury Festival”.
US ambassador to the UK Warren Stephens slammed the chants as “anti-Semitic” and a “shame”.
Glastonbury’s organisers said the the comments had “very much crossed a line”.
“We are urgently reminding everyone concerned in the manufacturing of the competition that there is no place at Glastonbury for antisemitism, hate speech or incitement to violence,” the festival said in a statement.
Kneecap, which has made headlines in recent months with its pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel stance, also led crowds in chanting abuse against Prime Minister Starmer.
Starmer and other politicians had said the band should not perform after its member Liam O’Hanna, known by his stage name Mo Chara, was charged with a terror offence.
He appeared in court this month accused of having displayed a Hezbollah flag while saying “Up Hamas, Up Hezbollah” at a London concert last year.
The Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah and the Palestinian militants Hamas are banned in the UK, where it is an offence to express support for them.
jwp/tw/aks/am/phz
Source hyperlink
