It was only five years ago that Wiley’s racist rant about Jews in the music industry saw him removed from social media platforms. But by 2025, Bob Vylan’s chants calling for “death to the IDF” were broadcast live from Glastonbury by the BBC. We are witnessing these disturbing changes unfold before our eyes.

Less than two years after hundreds of Israeli music festival-goers were slaughtered by Hamas terrorists, extreme rhetoric is infesting another festival and being broadcast into Britain’s living rooms as culture.

This was predictable after Glastonbury platformed Kneecap, whose singers faces terror charges for supporting banned groups who want to eliminate Jews. When challenged, festival founder Michael Eavis declared anyone disagreeing with the festival’s politics should “go somewhere else”. Only after the backlash did the organisers who created this environment for hate claim to be “appalled” by “hate speech or incitement”.

The BBC called punk-rap band Bob Vylan’s performance “deeply offensive”, but failed to implement standard broadcast delays. Given recent scandals such as antisemitic social media posts by BBC journalists and contributors, two Gaza documentaries pulled for failing basic standards and accusations of institutional bias, you might expect more caution. This represents institutional failure across the board.

When the Israeli Embassy in London expressed concern, Health Secretary Wes Streeting told them “get your own house in order”. Such whataboutery is unacceptable, especially when British MPs have discussed Israel-Hamas twice as much as the NHS or immigration, and more than Ukraine and Sudan combined.

The pattern is chilling. Earlier this year, Israeli musician Itay Kashti was kidnapped by British Islamists specifically for being Jewish. British Jewish folk band Oi Va Voy saw venues cancel them for having an Israeli singer. Now tens of thousands joined hateful chants broadcast by our state broadcaster. This particularly horrifies Jews, but should concern everyone.

Where is society headed when hate speech becomes the norm? All too often it stems from people who identify as anti-racists. But normal rules don’t appear to apply to Jews, who don’t enjoy the same protection. The name Bob Vylan was clearly inspired by famous Jewish songwriter Bob Dylan, who sang “The times they are-a-changing”. Nowhere is this more evident than at Glastonbury.

Dylan’s grandparents fled organised mass-violence against Jews in Russia, called pogroms. They were like celebratory street theatre with bands and cheering crowds. Once again, hate is being presented as public entertainment. The times are changing all right — changing back.