LondonThis Monday the landscape after the Battle of Glastonbury It's not just the usual tonnes of rubbish left behind by the famous Somerset music festival, the most important in the United Kingdom, after a long weekend of all kinds of acts: from Jarvis Cocker to Olivia Rodrigo. The participation on Saturday of the British rap duo Bob Vylan has caused a new earthquake in the BBC, in this case because of the Gaza war and genocide against the Palestinian people.
One of the duo's members, guitarist and singer Pascal Robinson-Foster, invited the audience to sing along with him "Death to the IDF" [Death to the IDF, the Israel Defense Forces] and "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free," and during his monologue, he said that he had worked for a record label run by a pro-Israel supporter, calling him a "fucking Zionist."
Bob Festival Show – on the BBC. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and other voices in the Islands' political landscape have also come forward to demand an explanation for why the recording was available on the corporation's website up to five hours after it was broadcast. A statement from Bob Vylan and hate groups and legal groups defending Israel's interests have announced legal action. The Israeli embassy has protested against the broadcast of Bob Vylan's performance. were totally unacceptable and have no place on our broadcasts."
The controversy comes just a week after Tim Davie, the BBC's director general, sent an email to all staff announcing new editorial guidelines that would, among other things, prevent the broadcaster from broadcasting "hate speech."
Bobby Vylan's performance was the last before Belfast rap trio Kneecap took the stage. The BBC decided not to broadcast their show live after one of its members, Liam Óg Ó Annaidh, was charged with a terrorism offense for allegedly displaying a flag of Hezbollah—the Lebanese militant party allied with Iran—at a concert last year. He has denied wrongdoing. Instead of a live broadcast, the BBC aired highlights of their performance.
He premier Starmer said the group should have no platform, "and that goes for any other artist who threatens or incites violence." Later yesterday, Scotland Yard announced that the Metropolitan Police had decided not to prosecute members of Kneecap over comments allegedly calling for the killing of Conservative MPs, made at a concert in November 2023. One member of the trio had: "The only Tory good is the Tory death. Kill your constituency MP."
Last week, UK Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced that she wants to outlaw the protest group Palestine Action under anti-terrorism legislation. jail. Founded in 2020, Palestine Action is known for sabotage against companies linked to the Israeli military industry, including Elbit Systems, Lockheed Martin, and Barclays. In 2002, activists caused similar damage to an Elbit facility near Bristol, where charges of violence against police were also filed. classify the group as a terrorist group. At a protest in Glasgow, they caused £1 million worth of damage, according to police.
London can continue legally selling F-35 parts to Israel, High Court rules
The High Court of England and Wales ruled on Monday that it is legal for the British government to continue supplying F-35 fighter jet parts to Israel, despite the widespread suspension of arms sales due to the Netanyahu government's military actions in Gaza. The Palestinian human rights organization Al Haq had filed a lawsuit against the Ministry of Business and Commerce, arguing that the availability of these parts could contribute to potential war crimes, given the use of F-35s in military operations in the Gaza Strip.
Although the United Kingdom does not directly sell components to Israel, it continues to supply them to a shared international system to which Israel has access as part of the US-led F-35 program. The British government justified this decision on grounds of national security and the defense of its allies. In its ruling, the court concluded that this is a "highly sensitive and political" issue that should be resolved by the government, which is democratically accountable to Parliament and the electorate, and not by the courts.
