‘Helen from Wales' hailed ‘hero of free speech' after live stream of Kneecap at Glastonbury hits two million
Helen Wilson, a vegan café owner from Swansea and a Glastonbury regular for 25 years, stepped in when the BBC chose not to broadcast Belfast rappers Kneecap's set live on TV.
She decided to live stream the performance on TikTok, sharing it directly with her followers.
Nearly two million people have interacted with the TikTok live stream of the performance, which the BBC has since released in an edited form on their iPlayer platform.
'I can't really believe the attention this has got, It's been crazy, but it shows that maybe the BBC got it wrong,' she told the Belfast Telegraph.
"There were an awful lot of people who wanted to see Kneecap on the Glastonbury stage.
'I have always believed in the right to free speech.
'But we're faced with being fed an edited version of events by mainstream media.
"When I heard Kneecap were not going to be shown as part of the BBC broadcast I just thought I'd stream it live and see what happened.
'I'd been taking part in a pro-Palestine rally earlier and really wanted to see Kneecap. I've been a big fan for a while and admire their support for free speech and stance against social injustice.
'I was thinking that if the BBC say they won't broadcast their performance then where will this censorship stop? Next year it will be someone else.
'I started the stream live on TikTok and thought maybe a few hundred might watch along. I looked at my phone after a few minutes and there were over 7,000 watching and the number was rising so I just had to keep going.'
Helen said she had been working at the festival with a sustainable waste management company, but had arranged some time off to ensure she could catch Kneecap's performance.
'I've been following their story and wanted to show people what the BBC were trying to block out,' she said.
At it's peak, over 1.8 million had liked her live stream and it has since been shared across many more platforms, turning her into an overnight celebrity.
'I got a name check on stage from Kneecap which was remarkable,' she said after they band called her 'a legend'.
'At the end my phone was overheating, it was incredibly hot but I wasn't going to let it go. This was to highlight a much wider issue, the genocide in Gaza.'
Glastonbury has been contacted for comment.
Its website states: 'No live performances may be recorded without the Festival's prior written permission. Where granted, further consent is usually required from the artist and, where applicable, their record label in order to use or disseminate such recorded performances.
"Rights, if granted, are typically limited to a specific use and programme, with no archive rights. A copy may be required for the Festival's archive, and location/facility fees may apply.'
'That doesn't worry me,' said Helen. 'Some things are too important not to be heard.
'I don't agree with artists being silenced – when institutions avoid politically outspoken artists it's up to the fans to make sure their voices are still heard.'
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