For EmiIy Eavis, this Glastonbury Festival might not go down as a golden year.
Not only has the festival faced a slew of unflattering press in the last few weeks for underpaying its artists, but a brand new headache presented itself on Saturday afternoon when Irish rap trio Kneecap took to the West Holts stage to play their much anticipated set.
They were preceded by Bob Vylan, a London punk duo. And they made their voices heard: the last ten minutes of the set interspersed their music with calls of “free Palestine”.
They finished off with a chant that called for “death to the IDF (Israeli Defence Forces)” - not exactly what you expect to be hearing at 3.30pm in the afternoon. Or is it?
When I passed through the crowd on my way to secure a spot for Kneecap, I did a double take. The crowd seemed equally divided; despite the waving Palestinian flags, the chants seemed muted.
But Kneecap didn't vary their tune much. During their set, which was watched by a stonking 30,000 people, its members, Mo Chara and Móglaí Bap, called for a “riot” to take place on Mo Chara's upcoming court date in August. They then led the crowd in chants of “f*** Keir Starmer” — and later clarified that they were joking about the riot claims.
Naturally this has sparked an outpouring of online outrage and frothing. Some people on social media have compared the incident to a “woke Nuremberg rally” — patently hysterical when you consider that the crowd was a peaceful one.
Regardless of the feeding frenzy on the internet, on the ground at the festival, the mood seems to be more of a collective shrug than fist-waving.
“I didn't see them, but I read what happened on the news after doing a blast of ket the next morning,” one festivalgoer told me dryly. “I didn't care then and I still don't care now.”
“I just think, don't give anyone a reason to discredit the [free Palestine movement],” Olivia told me the morning after it happened. “It's a peaceful protest, let it continue that way.”
“It was radical, I guess, but that's the whole point,” her friend Amy added. “When things have gone too far, what do you expect people to do?”
Others were blunter. “Absolutely not,” Raj said when asked if Bob Vylan should have gone as far as they did. “It's further than political. It's inciting violence. Glasto is a hundred per cent about ‘free Palestine,’ but I draw the line at ‘death to the IDF.’”
The BBC has also come under fire for first not filming, then filming the set (and cutting cameras after Bob Vylan, who ultimately proved the more incendiary performer.)
“I think it's wrong of the BBC to edit out and censor it,” Ed told me. “The BBC's meant to be impartial, so why not just livestream it and let the people decide what they think of it?”
When asked about Bob Vylan's chants, the response was a shrug. “I think a strong situation calls for a strong call to action.”
For the government's part, health secretary Wes Streeting condemned the comments but added that “Israel should get its own house in order”.
Eavis herself has also issued a statement, adding that the sets “crossed a line” and that the festival was “appalled” by the statements made.
To be honest, the whole thing does smack of hysteria. Coverage of both bands’ comments have conveniently left out the fact that Israel's army have bombed and killed an estimated 60,000, likely more, Palestinians — something Kneecap repeatedly drew attention to during their set.
Both bands have been open about their pro Palestine stance; the festival must have expected something like this would happen. Indeed, the Eavis family stood behind Kneecap when politicians called for them to be pulled.
Factor in a general groundswell of people willing to speak about the issue of what is happening in Gaza — Amyl and the Sniffers, who played later at the Other Stage, gave an impassioned monologue about the topic — and what you have is a recipe for a perfect storm.
As people go about their Sunday, certainly it doesn't feel like the issue is as much of a talking point on the ground as it is online; the chatter I've heard has mostly been about who to see and where. But even as I type this, I've just heard band Turnstile yell "free Palestine" from the Other Stage, and those shouts are always met with cheers from the crowd.
Like it or not, Glastonbury (and by extension, the BBC, which broadcasts it) can't escape this discussion. What remains to be seen is the extent of the fallout.
