The has said it should have cut away from a live broadcast of Bob Vylan’s performance at Glastonbury, during which the band’s singer led the crowd in chants of “death, death to the IDF [Israel Defense Forces]”.
In a statement issued on Monday, the said: “The team were dealing with a live situation but with hindsight we should have pulled the stream during the performance. We regret this did not happen.”
It comes after the broadcast regulator Ofcom said the “clearly has questions to answer” over its coverage, and the government questioned why the comments were aired live.
The organisers of Glastonbury have previously said they were “appalled” by the comments, which “crossed a line”.
On Monday, a spokesperson said: “The respects freedom of expression but stands firmly against incitement to violence.
“The antisemitic sentiments expressed by Bob Vylan were utterly unacceptable and have no place on our airwaves.”
A statement continued: “In light of this weekend, we will look at our guidance around live events so we can be sure teams are clear on when it is acceptable to keep output on air.”
The has previously said the performance had carried a warning on screen and would not be made available to watch on iPlayer.
The controversy surrounds comments made by Bob Vylan’s singer – who goes by the name Bobby Vylan – during their performance at the festival on Saturday.
During part of the band’s set, the singer also chanted “free, free Palestine” and used the expression “from the river to sea, Palestine will be free”, which critics have long said amounts to calling for the destruction of Israel.
On Monday, Ofcom said it was in contact with the and had asked for clarification over why the comments were broadcast.
A spokesperson for the regulator said: “We are very concerned about the live stream of this performance, and the clearly has questions to answer.
“We have been speaking to the over the weekend and we are obtaining further information as a matter of urgency, including what procedures were in place to ensure compliance with its own editorial guidelines.”
Bob Vylan are a London-based English punk-rap duo, who formed in Ipswich in 2017. They have previously performed at Reading and Leeds festivals and toured with the likes of the Offspring, the Hives and Biffy Clyro.
