Bob Vylan has announced it is taking legal action against the BBC following the controversy surrounding its Glastonbury show last summer, where the punk duo led the crowds in chants of “death, death to the IDF”. The Telegraph has more.
The punk duo performed at the festival last June, with singer Bobby Vylan, whose real name is Pascal Robinson-Foster, leading the crowds in chants of “death, death to the IDF [Israel Defense Forces]”.
The BBC faced criticism for livestreaming the performance, and released a statement shortly afterwards saying that the duo’s act had been deemed suitable for live streaming, but that this was “clearly not the case”.
It also issued an apology for the group’s “offensive and deplorable behaviour”.
On Friday, Bob Vylan, whose other member is Wade Laurence George, the drummer, wrote on Instagram that they were taking legal action against the corporation, accusing it of “placing labels upon us that did not, do not and never will fit”.
The post said: “As a corporation that receives the majority of its funding from the public, it has disappointingly continued to prove how little it represents the interests of the people and our access to unbiased news and information.”
The duo also said they had “no choice but to take on this fight”, concluding: “Free Palestine and justice for the Filton 25.”
The Filton 25 is a group of pro-Palestinian activists who were arrested and imprisoned following direct action at the Elbit Systems weapons factory in Filton, near Bristol, in 2024.
Bob Vylan’s announcement came after Sir Ephraim Mirvis, the Chief Rabbi, called for the ‘death to the IDF’ chant to be criminalised earlier this week.
Speaking during a Q&A at the Religion Media Festival in Westminster earlier this week, he said Britain needed to change legislation to stop the chant.
Having investigated the Glastonbury incident, Avon and Somerset Police decided that no further action would be taken because it did not “meet the criminal threshold outlined by the CPS [Crown Prosecution Service] for any person to be prosecuted”.
Last October, Robinson-Foster said on the Louis Theroux Podcast that he was “not regretful” over the chant and would “do it again tomorrow”.
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If we had balls we’d just deport him back where his ancestors came from.
So punk… Crying about being labelled and then trying to settle it in the courts.
Bob Vylan, whose other member is Wade Laurence George, the drummer, wrote on Instagram that they were taking legal action against the corporation, accusing it of “placing labels upon us that did not, do not and never will fit”.
Well Master Vylan,doesn’t get to decide what labels others give him, especially when he openly mouthed malevolance at a majopr pop festival which was then broadcast to the nation and via a company that is paid for by the tax payer. He got off lightly with “offensive and deplorable behaviour.” What was he also said about British people not get their country back?
When your enemies are fighting don’t interrupt them. As long as we are not paying the winner.
Sometimes you come across something so quintessentially vile and loathsome, it summarizes everything that you detest about woke.
For me, a Bob Vylan performance is it.
Yes, but seeing who thinks they’re good is educational.
Obviously, being a dog, I don’t have a trigger finger but if I had one, this vile tw@t would have it itching.
Having these people saying what they want allows me to make up my own mind about them.
If only the BBC would do something similar it might get its audience back.
The Jamaican can sue whoever he wants, but WE DON’T WANT TO PAY FOR IT !!!
I think The Taxpayers Alliance should be the ones to decide which cases can use LEGAL AID.