BBC to stop showing ‘high-risk’ acts live after Bob Vylan row
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Bobby Vylan of British duo Bob Vylan performing at the Glastonbury festival in Somerset, south-west England, on June 28.
PHOTO: AFP
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LONDON - The BBC said July 3 it would no longer live-broadcast musical performances deemed “high risk” following controversy over the behaviour of punk-rap duo Bob Vylan during their Glastonbury set.
The British broadcaster has attracted criticism for having failed to pull a livestream of the performance after its frontman made anti-Israel comments at the festival in south-west England last week.
British police said June 30 they were launching a criminal investigation into the remarks made by Bob Vylan.
British and other politicians condemned the London-based duo, who often tackle racism in their tracks, after they led the crowds in chants of “Death to the IDF”
“We fully understand the strength of feeling regarding Bob Vylan’s live appearance at Glastonbury on the BBC,” the broadcaster said in its latest statement.
“Errors were made both in the lead-up to and during” the appearance, it admitted.
“We are taking actions to ensure proper accountability for those found to be responsible for those failings in the live broadcast,” while setting out some immediate changes to the streaming of music events, the BBC added.
“Any music performances deemed high risk will now not be broadcast live or streamed live,” the statement said. AFP
