When backlash overwhelms lash

Economic Times

9 hours ago

The annual Glastonbury music festival in Britain usually makes headlines for its grand congregation of contemporary and legendary musical talent. This year, Glasto made headlines instead for becoming centre stage of anti-Israel sloganeering and calls of defiance - including 'Death, death to the IDF'. Such is the ruckus even a week after the 5-day fest ended that two performers accused of antisemitic incitement - English punk rap duo Bob Vylan and Northern Irish hip-hop trio Kneecap - are now under criminal investigation. Many have been rightly appalled by their call for 'violence against violence' in the context of Israel's continued mass murders in Gaza. The latest fracas over BBC - the independent-but-not-quite-independent public service broadcaster - not cutting its broadcast feed of Bob Vylan's performance it later described as 'offensive and deplorable' despite 'internal warnings', has led to parliamentary debate and a BBC apology.All this is understandable, especially when young people are already charged up, and any incitement can be incendiary. Crowds - whether in a music festival or a religious gathering - can, with the 'right' call for one more 'dhakka', turn into a destructive mob.But the irony of the Glasto lash-backlash is that the alleged crime of antisemitic incitement seems to have submerged the crime of genocide the Israeli state is accused of perpetrating. This is not to condone the reported acts of incitements by influencers with microphones at a music gig. It is, instead, an observation of how narratives can change midstream. And instead of both lash and backlash being put under the scanner, only one - rage against genocide, rather than genocide itself - becomes the problem that needs to be stubbed out.