London – British police launched a criminal investigation into a television performance at the Glastonbury Festival by rappunk duo Bob Villain on Monday.
meanwhile. The US State Department said it has revoked Bob Billan's US visa, which he had planned to tour in the US later this year after “a hatred tilade in Glastonbury.”
Little known until the weekend, rapper Bobby Bilan led the crowd on Saturday with a chant “Free, Free Palestine” and “Death, Death, Death, Death, of the Israeli Defence Force” at the UK's biggest summer music festival on Saturday.
The BBC said it regrets live streaming of the performance.
“The anti-Semitism sentiment expressed by Bob Bilan is completely unacceptable and we have no place in our airwaves,” the broadcaster said, adding that “we respect freedom of expression, but we stand firm in instigating violence.”
British Prime Minister Kiel Starmer and British politicians have denounced the chant, saying there was no excuse for such “terrifying hate speech.”
Avon and Somerset police said Bob Billan's performance and performance by Irish-language band Kneecap are currently subject to criminal investigations and are “recorded as a public order case.”
Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza has inflamed tensions around the world, sparking Palestinian protests on many capitals and university campuses. Israel and some supporters have described the protest as anti-Semitic, but critics say Israel uses such an explanation to silence its enemy.
Ofcom, a UK broadcasting regulator, said he was “very worried” about the BBC live stream, and that the station “evidently has questions.”
The BBC said earlier in its defense that it issued an on-screen warning about “very strong and discriminatory words” during a live stream of Bob Bilan's act.
US Secretary of State Christopher Landau said the visas for two members of Bob Billan (both use stage names for privacy reasons) have been revoked.
“Foreigners who praise violence and hatred do not welcome visitors to our country,” Landau said in a social media post Monday.
Starmer said the BBC had to explain how these scenes came to air.
Formed in 2017, Bob Vylan released four albums that mix punk, grime and other styles, with lyrics that often address issues such as racism, masculinity and politics.
In a statement posted on social media, singer Bobby Bilan said he killed both messages of support and hatred.
“Teaching children to speak for the changes they want and the changes they need is the only way we can make this world a better place,” he writes.
Bob Bilan performed on Saturday afternoon just before Kneecap. This is another band that sparked controversy over the Palestinian parental attitude.
Kneecap led a massive crowd with a “Free Palestine” chant at the festival. They also sought a hymn praised by starmer, who said that Kneecap didn't think it was “appropriate” to play Glastonbury after one of its members was indicted under the Terrorist Act.
Liamógó Hannaidh, who performs under the stage name called Mo Chara, was accused of supporting a banned organisation that allegedly waving the flag of Hezbollah at a concert held in London last year.
On Saturday, members of the group suggested that fans “start a riot” outside of their bandmate's upcoming court appearances, but he said, “riots, just love and support, support for Palestine.”
The BBC had already obtained the decision not to air KneeCap's Glastonbury Performance Live, but has made the unedited version available on the Festival Highlights page of the BBC Iplayer Service.
The Israeli Embassy to the UK said over the weekend that it was “deeply disturbed by the inflammatory and hateful rhetoric expressed on the Glastonbury Festival stage.”
The act was one of 4,000 people who performed in front of around 200,000 music fans this year at a festival held in southwestern England.
Israel faces intense international criticism of the acts of war in Gaza. In May, the UK, France and Canada issued a sharply expressed statement calling for Israel to halt “bad” military action in Gaza and criticize Israel's actions in the occupied West Bank.
Since Israel ended its ceasefire in March, more than 6,000 people have been killed in Gaza and more than 20,000 have been injured in Gaza.
The Israeli attacks have killed more than 56,000 people and injured 132,000 people, according to Gaza's Ministry of Health. It does not distinguish between civilians and combatants, but it says that women and children account for more than half of the deaths.
Israel says it targets only extremists, condemns the deaths of Hamas civilians and blames extremists for hiding among civilians as civilians are active.