BBC bosses: 'We didn't pull M.I.A. footage over T-shirt choice'

BBC bosses have fired back at remarks M.I.A. made about their coverage of her performance at the Glastonbury Festival on Friday night (27Jun14), insisting they didn't pull the plug on the provocative hip-hop star because of a T-shirt.

The Paper Planes singer hit the West Holts Stage wearing a top emblazoned with the words 'Stop Tamil Deportation', and she claimed her fashion choice prompted BBC bosses to axe their planned online footage of her performance.

Just two songs into her set, after she was informed her performance wasn't streaming live on the web, she told fans, "This is a political announcement, the BBC have banned M.I.A at Glastonbury. It's because of these T-shirts that say Stop Tamil Deportation.

"But we don't give a f**k and you know why? We are going to do the best f**king show tonight and it ain't gonna be on TV. I'm here, you're here and that's all we f**king care about. Hashtag freedom motherf**ker."

However, BBC chiefs informed staff onsite at the festival that M.I.A. had got her facts wrong.

BBC 6 DJ Stuart Maconie, who was broadcasting live from the festival, tweeted, "Don't know where M.I.A gets her info from but we fully intend to broadcast some of her set. And we're streaming it."