An internationally famous music festival and Britain’s main public broadcaster were engulfed in controversy after two pro-Palestinian acts appeared to promote violence.
First, Irish rap trio Kneecap, one of whom faces criminal charges after displaying a Hezbollah flag on stage, were scheduled to appear at Glastonbury on the afternoon of Saturday, June 6th. As a precaution, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) chose not to transmit the set live, although it did say that the performance would be made available through its streaming service (paid for using a licence fee collected from the public under the threat of a criminal record). Previously, Prime Minister and rhetorical powerhouse Keir Starmer had said it was ‘not appropriate’ for Kneecap to appear at Glastonbury. The group hit back by encouraging the crowd to chant “F*ck Keir Starmer.” They also encouraged fans to attend the Westminster magistrate’s court hearing for bandmate Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh in August and start a riot.
Ultimately the problem of what to do about Kneecap was eclipsed by the act on stage immediately beforehand, Bob Vylan. Vylan frontman Pascal Robinson-Foster launched into a long rant about his experience of ‘zionists’ in the music industry ripping him off, and asked the crowd—already accustomed to chanting “Free, free Palestine”—
But have you heard this one though? Death, death to the IDF!
The BBC continued the live transmission of the performance, while later omitting it from its ‘on demand’ streaming service. Avon and Somerset police are now investigating the band for instigating the chanting.
As the controversy unfolded, the typically progressive middle class Glastonbury attendees were reminded that 1) the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is a citizen army drawing most young Israels into the protection of the world’s only Jewish State and 2) those same citizens suffered some of their worst ever losses to a Hamas-led pogrom at the Nova music festival on October 7th, 2023.
Elsewhere on the summer festival circuit, rapper Azealia Banks has withdrawn from two events, claiming she was being pressured by promoters into make pro-Gaza statements on stage.
