Bob Vylan frontman claims: BBC staff called my anti-IDF chant 'fantastic'

Bobbie Vylan, frontman of the British punk-rap duo Bob Vylan, claimed that BBC staff praised his Glastonbury performance, which included chants calling for the death of all Israeli soldiers.

Speaking on the Louis Theroux Podcast and quoted in The Telegraph, Vylan said, “We come off stage. It’s normal. Nobody thought anything. Nobody. Even staff at the BBC were like: ‘That was fantastic! We loved that!’”

He added, “Nobody at the BBC at that time was there like: ‘Oh my gosh.’ You know… it was very normal. And then we got back and… we went and got ice cream.”

The BBC initially defended the broadcast, stating the chant “death, death to the IDF” did not constitute incitement to violence. The performance was aired live and remained available on BBC iPlayer for several hours, prompting widespread criticism from MPs, ministers, and antisemitism watchdogs. BBC Director-General Tim Davie, who was present at the festival, later said cutting the livestream was “an option open to those on the ground that day.”

The BBC has since issued an apology, calling the chants “antisemitic sentiments” and “unacceptable.”

Vylan, whose real name is Pascal Robinson-Foster, doubled down on his remarks, telling Theroux, “I’m not regretful of it. I’d do it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays.”

Following the performance, Bob Vylan was banned from entering the United States ahead of a 20-city tour after the State Department revoked their visa, citing concerns about glorifying violence and hatred. The group was also dropped from a European tour, a German venue, a Manchester music festival, and faced a police investigation.

The Community Security Trust reported that the day after Bob Vylan’s Glastonbury set saw the highest number of antisemitic incidents recorded in the first half of the year. 12 of those incidents were linked to reactions to statements from Jewish organizations about the festival.

Vylan denied responsibility, saying, “I don’t think I have created an unsafe atmosphere for the Jewish community. If there were large numbers of people going out and going like, ‘Bob Vylan made me do this’, I might go: ‘Oof, I’ve had a negative impact here.’”