Culture Secretary, Lisa Nandy has called for the Government to explain why the "appalling and unacceptable scenes at Glastonbury" were broadcast to the nation.Speaking in the Commons, Nandy said that she had called the Director General of the BBC, Tim Davie, asking for an explanation and to confirm "what immediate steps the BBC leadership intends to take".READ MORE HERE.
00:00I'm in touch with my right honourable friend, the Home Secretary, as to whether there has been any criminal offence committed.
00:05The House will know that decisions relating to specific cases are an operational matter for the police.
00:12Avon and Somerset Police have confirmed that video evidence is being assessed by officers to determine whether any offences may have been committed.
00:20They have just announced in the last few minutes that this has now taken the form of a criminal investigation.
00:27So, as I hope members will appreciate, it therefore would not be appropriate for the government to comment on an ongoing investigation at this stage.
00:35But let me be clear that this government will not tolerate anti-Semitism.
00:41It has no place in our society. It is a poison and a cancer that must be rooted out.
00:48And we will be relentless in our work to do so.
00:51This government works closely with the police and with community partners to ensure the safety and security of Jewish communities.
00:59And we will continue to do so following the enormous impact that these events have had on them over the weekend.
01:07Let me turn now to the role of the BBC.
01:10On Saturday afternoon, just after the broadcast, I called the Director-General to ask for an explanation and what immediate steps the BBC leadership intended to take.
01:22As the Prime Minister said yesterday, it is essential that the BBC explains how these scenes came to be broadcast.
01:31The BBC has rightly apologised and took the immediate decision not to put this content on iPlayer.
01:37I welcome that.
01:38However, key outstanding questions remain, including why this performance was broadcast live, given the concerns regarding other acts in the weeks preceding the festival.
01:52Why the feed wasn't immediately cut when the chance of death to the IDF began.
01:58And what due diligence was done prior to the decision to broadcast this particular act to the nation.
02:04I expect answers to these questions without delay.
02:08I have made that view clear to the BBC leadership and I will, of course, update the House as soon as I can.
02:16Over the weekend and this morning, I have also had conversations with members of the Jewish community, including those who were present at Glastonbury.
02:24They have raised a number of concerns about imagery and slogans that were on display at the festival this weekend.
02:33And I am told that this led them to establish their own safe space at the festival.
02:39As a government, we are urgently looking into the specifics of these alarming reports and reaching out to the festival organisers.
02:51Finally, I want to be clear about the government's role.
02:56As a government, we strongly support freedom of expression.
02:59And as Culture Secretary, I will robustly defend the independence of our broadcasters and the right to artistic expression.
03:06But we do not accept that incitement to violence, hate speech or anti-Semitism is art.
03:14There is a clear difference between speaking out for Palestine, which is the right of everybody in this House and everybody in our country,
03:24and anti-Semitism, which is not and which will never be.
03:27When the rights and safety of people and communities are at risk, and when our national broadcaster fails to uphold its own standards, we will intervene.
03:39In the coming days, I will be having further conversations with the BBC and festival organisers to ensure that lessons are learnt and action is taken.
