BBC BOSS HAS 'TO ACT NOW OR RESIGN'

BBC boss Tim Davie was last night told to sack those responsible or resign himself over the Glastonbury IDF chants scandal.

- Martyn Brown Political Editor

Israel's deputy foreign minister, Sharren Haskel, said executives behind the live coverage needed to be held to account after the BBC broadcast the antisemitic “Death, death to the IDF [Israel Defence Forces]” chant during rap-punk act Bob Vylan's show. It emerged last night that Mr Davie, left, was at Glastonbury on Saturday and was personally informed about the performance.

Ms Haskel's demands for heads to roll came as the BBC issued a grovelling apology, admitting: “With hindsight we should have pulled the stream during the performance.” It regretted broadcasting “utterly unacceptable words”, adding: “The antisemitic sentiments expressed by Bob Vylan have no place on our airwaves. We welcome Glastonbury’s condemnation of the performance.” Vylan also chanted “From the river to the sea, Palestine must be, will be, inshallah, it will be free.”

Police last night said they had launched a criminal investigation into the incident.

Ms Haskel insisted Mr Davie must take ultimate responsibility.

She said: “This is literally someone calling for violence, for ethnic cleansing, for the destruction and the annihilation of the only Jewish state in the world.

“So if there’s no one that will take responsibility, if no one will be fired over such an outrageous thing, then I think that Tim Davie should take responsibility because there has to be accountability for that.”

Asked to clarify whether she was calling for the resignation of the director-general, who has been in post since 2020, she added: