Christopher BarrettWith controversy surrounding Irish hip-hop trio Kneecap’s appearance at Glastonbury Festival, its founder has said the event’s left-leaning political stance will remain intact.
The BBC has confirmed that it will broadcast Kneecap’s Saturday set at the festival despite prime minister Keir Starmer having called for the band to be prevented from performing there.
Reflecting on Glastonbury’s long association with left-leaning politics, in an interview for the festival’s Glastonbury Free Press, Michael Eavis said it would continue to campaign against war, stand up for the oppressed and argue for a better, greener world.
“I think the people that come here are into all those things,” said Eavis. “People that don’t agree with the politics of the event can go somewhere else.”
Discussing Glastonbury Festival’s long-lasting association with CND, which campaigns for peace and a nuclear-free world, the 89-year-old founder of the festival said he first got involved with CND when nuclear weapons were moved to Newbury, around the time his daughter Emily was born. Eavis said, “Campaigning was a driving force for me then, and it hasn’t changed.”
Asked by the BBC about Kneecap remaining on the festival’s lineup, Emily Eavis said, “There have been a lot of very heated topics this year but we remain a platform for many artists from all over the world, and everyone is welcome here.”
Last year alone, Glastonbury contributed £5.9 million to charitable causes and campaigns including Greenpeace, Oxfam and WaterAid.