Rod Stewart, Bobby Vylan and Kneecap - Readers discuss politics at Glastonbury

Metro

14 hours ago

Do you agree with our readers? Have your say on these MetroTalk topics and more in the comments.
Rod Stewart says we should 'give [Nigel] Farage a chance', saying the Reform leader is 'coming across well' (Metro, Mon).
By all means listen to Sir Rod's music but don't listen to the 80-year-old rocker for advice on politics, how to vote or even what's good for younger UK artists.
Rebranding his Brexit Party as Reform UK isn't enough to obscure what a disaster Farage has already been for Britain, including its music industry.
Brexit has been awful for musicians wanting to tour Europe, hence the campaign to get the damage undone, which is at europeanmovement.co.uk. Peter Brown, Cleckheaton
Rapper Bobby Vylan led chants of 'death, death to the IDF' (the Israel Defence Forces) during his Glastonbury performance.
Irish hip-hop band Kneecap were allowed to play despite member Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh being charged with displaying a Hezbollah flag at a previous gig.
If Lucy Connolly, the wife of a Tory councillor, can be jailed for saying on the day of the Southport riots that hotels housing asylum seekers should be set on fire, then Vylan and Kneecap should be immediately brought before a judge for hate speak and inciting violence.
Facial recognition technology should be used to identify the worst offenders in the Glastonbury crowd who joined in the death chants and make an example of them. Barry Stanton, Folkestone
It's a shame Glastonbury appears to be descending in to a political commentary event rather than a musical one.
There was a time when an artist would make a subtle comment in a lyric or song title and the fans would get their point and that would be it.
Now it's in your face. I'd have thought most fans go to Glastonbury for a release from the often depressing news rather than be subjected to another political broadcast. Even Rod is at it. He should stick to talking about Maggie. Dec, Essex
I am increasingly critical of Israel's military actions, which have had a huge civilian cost, and I think it is legitimate to call attention to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
But I have far more respect for aid agencies in Gaza than any musician.
Free speech is not and never has been a green light to incite violence.
I wonder what supporters of Kneecap or Bobby Vylan would make of a British nationalist trio promoting far-right groups?
At Glastonbury, Kneecap 'joked' about starting a riot outside the upcoming court case. But this has real-world consequences for police officers who may be injured if trouble breaks out.
None of this helps the struggling Palestinian people. These artists are not being 'persecuted' for their views – they are being held to account for crossing a line. Nathan Hazlett, Sunderland
From now on, only Christmas carols are allowed at Glastonbury! Samuel, Tooting
You might not like Palestine Action, the protest group proscribed as a terrorist group by home secretary Yvette Cooper.
Indeed, you might hate them but you have to admit they aren't terrorists. They don't have weapons or bombs. They've never hurt, never mind killed, anyone.
What they've done is smash up a few assembly lines and broken some planes. Criminals they may be but terrorists they are not.
This isn't about protecting people, it's about clamping down on dissent because the government knows it has lost the argument over Israel and Gaza.
What these authoritarian politicians don't understand is that as soon as a new government comes in, it will use these laws to silence the people currently in charge. As for everyone else, we'll have long since lost any say in anything important by then. Rob Slater, Norfolk
In reply to S Coyne (MetroTalk, Wed), who says Reform UK has nothing to offer working people. More Trending
Reform says it will raise the threshold from where you start paying income tax to £20,000. So it is very much helping working people.
Regarding the plan to offer non-doms a £250,000 'Britannia Card' to exempt them from paying tax on foreign assets, millionaires pay a lot in other taxes but they are leaving in droves.
It's a good idea to do anything to stop that exodus. Timothy Triggs, Oxford
Bob Jones (MetroTalk, Fri) says he's willing to show Brad Pitt around London after the superstar said he 'missed out on having a gay experience'. Well, Bob, I'm new in town and I may not be Brad Pitt but
I could be the perfect fit. Or should this be in Rush Hour Crush..? Johno, Camden
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