Latest news with #crowdcrush
Yahoo
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Eleven people injured in crowd crush after a Beyoncé concert. How this happens, and how to stay safe.
Eleven people were injured in a crowd crush incident in an Atlanta train station early Tuesday morning after a Beyoncé concert. Police reported that a woman had screamed and started running for an unknown reason in the Vine City Station, which caused people to panic and rush down the escalator to get to the train platform, a spokesperson for MARTA, Atlanta's transportation agency, said in an email to Yahoo. The incident took place after midnight when people were leaving Mercedes-Benz Stadium after the final performance of Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter tour. As people ran down the escalator, it briefly sped up before abruptly stopping, causing people to fall forward on top of each other. Ten people were taken to the hospital, including one person who broke their ankle, the MARTA spokesperson confirmed to Yahoo. The spokesperson said that the escalator has since been blocked off and that MARTA and the escalator's manufacturer will investigate the incident. So-called crowd crushes are dangerous and even potentially fatal events that occur when a large group of people is stuck in a confined area and people start to panic, trying to get out. A number of high-profile fatal crowd crush incidents have made headlines in recent years, including the 2021 Astroworld Festival in Houston, where 10 victims, including a 9-year-old boy, died after 50,000 people ran toward the stage during rapper Travis Scott's performance. Another recent crowd crush incident happened in South Korea in 2022, when a horde of people was crammed into a small alleyway during a Halloween party in Seoul. More than 150 people died in the tragic event. G. Keith Still, a visiting professor of crowd science at the University of Suffolk, has studied crowd dynamics for the last 30 years and is an author at the Global Crowd Management Alliance (GCMA), an organization dedicated to advancing crowd management and security services. He spoke to Yahoo about how crowd crushes happen and what people can do to protect themselves if they end up in one. What causes a crowd crush? Crowd crushes are 'a situation where people fill a space beyond safe limits, making it difficult for individuals to breathe or move freely,' according to GCMA. They are caused by 'overcrowding' and 'poor infrastructure or ineffective communication.' The MARTA crowd crush was caused by a 'cascade reaction,' Still said, which is 'like dominoes falling over.' One woman screamed and started running, so the group around her started running down the escalator, even if they didn't know what was happening. 'People running away from a perceived threat, whether it's real or imaginary or a false alarm, it's still a very logical, rational thing to do,' he said. The Astroworld Festival incident, on the other hand, was caused by packing more people into a fenced-off section than could safely fit within that space, according to Still. How do crowd crushes become fatal? In crowd crushes, Still said, people are packed together so tightly that they start to lose the ability to move their limbs independently and struggle to breathe properly. This is why people tend to suffocate, even if they're standing. 'In these environments, you only have a few minutes to get people out before they become restricted in breathing,' Still explained. 'It's about six minutes before constrictive asphyxia sets in — suffocation.' He added that in many tight spaces packed with large crowds, six minutes is often not enough time for people to remove themselves or for rescuers to try to pull people out. How to stay safe If you find yourself in a large gathering or a situation where you're worried about a potential crowd crush, Still said it's helpful to know where all exits are and to stay on the outskirts of the space. He said it's important to assess the environment and envision what you would do to get out of the area if something happened. 'Just a moment to contemplate as you're entering the venue makes you feel a lot more aware of your surroundings,' he said. Still also advised organizers and venues to keep admission for events below maximum capacity and to have multiple entrances and exits to ensure easy flow in and out of the space. If, as was the case in Atlanta this week, you are in a large crowd and hear someone scream or otherwise have reason to believe there is a threat, Still urges remaining calm and assessing the situation before giving into the natural instinct to run. He recommended asking yourself these questions: 'What triggered this? Was it a scream? Was it a shout? Is it just everybody else reacting?' The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises that if you do find yourself in a crowd crush, you should not try to resist the force of the crowd, but try to carefully work your way to the outskirts of the group. The CDC recommends keeping your hands in front of your chest 'like a boxer,' and to try remaining on your feet as long as you can. If you do fall, you should try to protect yourself by curling into a ball rather than lying flat. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Eleven people injured in crowd crush after a Beyoncé concert. How this happens, and how to stay safe.
Eleven people were injured in a crowd crush incident in an Atlanta train station early Tuesday morning after a Beyoncé concert. Police reported that a woman had screamed and started running for an unknown reason in the Vine City Station, which caused people to panic and rush down the escalator to get to the train platform, a spokesperson for MARTA, Atlanta's transportation agency, said in an email to Yahoo. The incident took place after midnight when people were leaving Mercedes-Benz Stadium after the final performance of Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter tour. As people ran down the escalator, it briefly sped up before abruptly stopping, causing people to fall forward on top of each other. Ten people were taken to the hospital, including one person who broke their ankle, the MARTA spokesperson confirmed to Yahoo. The spokesperson said that the escalator has since been blocked off and that MARTA and the escalator's manufacturer will investigate the incident. So-called crowd crushes are dangerous and even potentially fatal events that occur when a large group of people is stuck in a confined area and people start to panic, trying to get out. A number of high-profile fatal crowd crush incidents have made headlines in recent years, including the 2021 Astroworld Festival in Houston, where 10 victims, including a 9-year-old boy, died after 50,000 people ran toward the stage during rapper Travis Scott's performance. Another recent crowd crush incident happened in South Korea in 2022, when a horde of people was crammed into a small alleyway during a Halloween party in Seoul. More than 150 people died in the tragic event. G. Keith Still, a visiting professor of crowd science at the University of Suffolk, has studied crowd dynamics for the last 30 years and is an author at the Global Crowd Management Alliance (GCMA), an organization dedicated to advancing crowd management and security services. He spoke to Yahoo about how crowd crushes happen and what people can do to protect themselves if they end up in one. What causes a crowd crush? Crowd crushes are 'a situation where people fill a space beyond safe limits, making it difficult for individuals to breathe or move freely,' according to GCMA. They are caused by 'overcrowding' and 'poor infrastructure or ineffective communication.' The MARTA crowd crush was caused by a 'cascade reaction,' Still said, which is 'like dominoes falling over.' One woman screamed and started running, so the group around her started running down the escalator, even if they didn't know what was happening. 'People running away from a perceived threat, whether it's real or imaginary or a false alarm, it's still a very logical, rational thing to do,' he said. The Astroworld Festival incident, on the other hand, was caused by packing more people into a fenced-off section than could safely fit within that space, according to Still. How do crowd crushes become fatal? In crowd crushes, Still said, people are packed together so tightly that they start to lose the ability to move their limbs independently and struggle to breathe properly. This is why people tend to suffocate, even if they're standing. 'In these environments, you only have a few minutes to get people out before they become restricted in breathing,' Still explained. 'It's about six minutes before constrictive asphyxia sets in — suffocation.' He added that in many tight spaces packed with large crowds, six minutes is often not enough time for people to remove themselves or for rescuers to try to pull people out. How to stay safe If you find yourself in a large gathering or a situation where you're worried about a potential crowd crush, Still said it's helpful to know where all exits are and to stay on the outskirts of the space. He said it's important to assess the environment and envision what you would do to get out of the area if something happened. 'Just a moment to contemplate as you're entering the venue makes you feel a lot more aware of your surroundings,' he said. Still also advised organizers and venues to keep admission for events below maximum capacity and to have multiple entrances and exits to ensure easy flow in and out of the space. If, as was the case in Atlanta this week, you are in a large crowd and hear someone scream or otherwise have reason to believe there is a threat, Still urges remaining calm and assessing the situation before giving into the natural instinct to run. He recommended asking yourself these questions: 'What triggered this? Was it a scream? Was it a shout? Is it just everybody else reacting?' The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises that if you do find yourself in a crowd crush, you should not try to resist the force of the crowd, but try to carefully work your way to the outskirts of the group. The CDC recommends keeping your hands in front of your chest 'like a boxer,' and to try remaining on your feet as long as you can. If you do fall, you should try to protect yourself by curling into a ball rather than lying flat. Solve the daily Crossword
News.com.au
13-07-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Chilling truth about human crowd crushes revealed
It should never have happened. But it'll sure as hell happen again. Trainwreck: The Astroworld Tragedy has thrust the threat of crowd-crushes back onto the world stage. The new Netflix documentary shines a spotlight on the doomed 2021 Travis Scott concert that turned a celebration into a deathtrap. At the peak of Scott's performance that night, a sea of 50,000 crowdgoers swelled to the stage. The horror human crush squeezed 10 people to death. Dozens more were injured. It was among the worst concert tragedies in US history. But how does such a catastrophe happen? What can you do to survive it? And are event planners doing enough to stop it? Threat of disaster The University of Melbourne's Dr Milad Haghani is Australia's leading crowd safety expert. For more than a decade, he's been researching how to keep crowds safe. Dr Haghani tells despite global attention, crowd disasters are on the rise globally. And without proper precautions, disaster will strike again in Australia. 'The threat of crowd disasters still exists in Australia and any other country that hosts many mass gatherings,' says Dr Milad Haghani. 'The sheer volume of events means the risk is never zero.' Australia's most recent crowd-related music festival fatality was during a Limp Bizkit set at the Big Day Out in 2001. Dr Haghani says our track record of rare crowd accidents shouldn't let us become complacent. 'As we've seen globally in cities with no prior history of such incidents like Seoul, disasters can occur when conditions align.' In 2022, two Australians were among the 150 people who died when they were crammed into a narrow street during Halloween festivities in the South Korean capital. Dr Haghani also points to near misses in Australia – such as Sydney's 2022 New Year's Eve celebrations. Footage from that night shows people screaming hysterically as a swelling crowd is sandwiched between a security gate in Sydney's Circular Quay. In 2016, festival-goers were crushed, left gasping for air and unconscious during a chaotic crowd stampede at the Falls Festival in Victoria. While it's rare, there's no reason to think history can't repeat itself. Strong enough to bend steel So how does it turn deadly? It's usually not because they're getting trampled. It's because they can't breathe. People caught in a crush are squeezed together so hard that they can't get any oxygen. The force of a surging crowd is strong enough to bend steel. Sometimes, they're facing two fronts: one from the back of the crowd pushing forward and another from the front of the crowd trying to escape. People lose their footing, causing a pile-on. Then you can add pressure from above to the mix. While some are pulled under an avalanche of flesh, others climb over them in a desperate effort to survive. Others are trapped against doors that won't open and fences that won't budge. Usually, they're the ones who don't make it home. It's literally a deathtrap. How it happens Put simply: crowds lose control when they cram into too small a space. This can result from large crowds surging toward exits during a sudden downpour or hail. Or pressing up against a barrier with such force that people are fatally crushed, as was the case at Astroworld. No matter how calmly a crowd behaves, it can only fit through a narrow exit at a certain speed. As to how and when this overcrowding occurs, Dr Haghani says it's a deadly combo. Recipe for disaster 1. A high-risk crowd. This can be concertgoers under the spell of an irresponsible artist, emotionally charged sporting fans, or NYE revellers rushing to transport. 2. Poor planning. This means crowd safety was not properly researched, monitored or controlled on the ground. If the crowd is calm, crisis can be averted. But otherwise, it's perfect storm. 'Crowd disasters are rarely the fault of a single person or moment.' 'But when all these gaps align, tragedy can unfold quickly.' Held to account When an accident happens that's completely preventable, predictable and avoidable, someone needs to take the rap. The key promoters of Astroworld were the world's largest live entertainment company Live Nation. As the promoters of Astroworld, Live Nation were responsible for planning, staffing, securing permits and communicating with local authorities. So it's no surprise they were hit with a wave of lawsuits after the disaster. Many of these were only settled last year. But the show must go on. Or at least, it has. Since then, the pair has continued to rule the industry. Travis Scott's record-breaking Circus Maximus tour (promoted by Live Nation) is now the highest selling tour by a solo rapper. It's raked in nearly $320 million and sold 1.7 million tickets. Live Nation has now has a stranglehold on the Australian music industry. So they must have learned their lesson? Dr Haghani isn't so sure. 'When an organisation experiences a catastrophic failure, the expectation is typically that they'll become more safety-conscious in the aftermath,' he said. 'That would be the reasonable expectation for a company like Live Nation post-Astroworld. 'But whether that's actually happened in practice is something I can't speak to with confidence.' Haghani speaks to the culture of crowd chaos that seems to be celebrated by the company in the documentary. 'It's seen as part of the product, not a problem. That's deeply concerning.' Survival instincts Dr Haghani has one rule for people at big events: trust your gut. 'Many concertgoers assume that because an event is authorised and underway, they must be safe.' 'Even when something feels off, there's often a misplaced trust that someone else is in control.' 'You should do your own personal assessment to the best of your ability and act around the perceived level of risk.' There are subtle warning signs. If a crowd is moving, then suddenly slows, that's a red flag that density is getting dangerous. If you hear sounds of distress, it's another warning that things are getting out of control. When the crowd stops moving, stay on your feet. Keep your arms from being stuck by your side. Protect your chest. Conserve oxygen. If you drop your phone or any other item, don't pick it up. Once you bend down, you probably won't make it back up. If you fall or trip, try your best to find your feet. If you can't, your best chance of surviving is trying to protect your head. 'This can be literally life-saving, especially when external layers of safety protection fail.'
BBC News
30-06-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Kumbh Mela: BBC investigation reveals hidden deaths at India festival crush
Warning: The story contains distressing details A BBC Hindi investigation reveals that Indian officials quietly paid compensation to the families of more people than they admit died in a deadly crowd crush at the Kumbh Mela, a Hindu festival which is the world's largest religious official death toll is 37, but the BBC found 26 additional cases where families received partial compensation in cash, and 18 more deaths where no payment was 25 March, a team of plain-clothed police officers from India's northern Uttar Pradesh (UP) state arrived in neighbouring Bihar with bundles of team visited Gopalganj city, where they met the family of 62-year-old Tara Devi. They handed over 500,000 rupees ($5,758; £4,291) in cash to her son, Dhananjay Gond, and asked him to record a statement on the video, Dhananjay introduces himself, saying: "My mother Tara Devi and I went to the Kumbh Mela for a holy dip. My mother died. Officers from UP came and gave us 500,000 rupees. We have received it."Dhananjay says his mother was killed in the crowd crush in the city of Prayagraj in UP on 29 UP government has not yet released an official list of the crush victims. Tara Devi's son says police told him the money he got was the first instalment of the 2.5m rupees officially promised to victims' families. Dhananjay says he hasn't received the remaining 2m rupees. The UP government says it has paid 2.5m rupees each to the families of 35 victims (of the 37 deaths, one victim remains unidentified, and another does not have a legal heir). A three-member judicial commission set up to investigate the incident and submit a report within a month has had its tenure BBC, however, found one more family which was given a cheque of 2.5m rupees. For the other 35 victims, the compensation was transferred to relatives' bank from this, the BBC found 26 cases - including that of Tara Devi - where police paid 500,000 rupees in cash at people's many instances, officials had families sign documents blaming health issues for the deaths, despite them insisting that their relatives died in the crush. (The UP government typically does not compensate for natural deaths during the Kumbh, held every 12 years.)The BBC also confirmed 18 deaths where no compensation was given (excluding the case mentioned above where there was no legal heir).It also found evidence of four separate crush incidents in Prayagraj on 29 January, despite Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's claim that only one occurred at what is called the Sangam nose - the point of confluence of three sacred rivers, Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical the weeks after the Kumbh crush, the BBC met over 100 families across 11 states in India, who claimed their relatives died in the tragedy. It verified 82 deaths in total with concrete evidence, excluding cases lacking reports from scene of India's Kumbh Mela crushFamilies mourn loved ones who died in Kumbh Mela crush Some families hold post-mortems, morgue slips, death certificates, or photos and videos as proof. The BBC cross-checked local newspaper reports and spoke to district reporters to trace where bodies were received, mapped these locations, and then visited the victims' BBC interviewed families and eyewitnesses to reconstruct timelines for each case - when the victims left for the holy dip, the time of the crush, nearby landmarks, the distance from the bathing site and the immediate these detailed accounts, clear patterns emerged, leading to the identification of four crush locations: Sangam Nose, Jhusi side of Samudrakup Chauraha, Airavat Marg, and Mukti Marg Chauraha near Kalpavriksha of the full 2.5m-rupee compensation cases list the death location as "Ward No. 7, Fort Cantt, Prayagraj", about 1.5km (0.9 miles) from Sangam contrast, the cases that received 500,000 rupees mostly mention "Sector-20 or Sector-21, Kumbh Mela area, Jhusi". Some of these families claim their relatives also died near Sangam Nose, but that their certificates wrongly cite Jhusi - possibly to downplay the scale of the tragedy for the 18 families which did not receive any compensation, there does not seem to be a common thread binding instance, at one crush location, the BBC identified five bodies through photos and the numbers issued during post-death formalities. Of these, the families of three victims received 500,000 rupees in cash, while the other two received nothing. Some other families have photographs from the day of the crush which show bodies of their relatives, but these deaths have not been acknowledged by the BBC repeatedly tried to contact UP government officials, emailing the information department and district magistrate. Despite promises by the district magistrate's office, no call was arranged. Attempts to reach the UP police chief went unanswered, while Prayagraj's police commissioner at the time of the incident, Tarun Gaba, and Mela officer Vijay Kiran Anand refused to answer BBC has also found evidence of deaths in crushes that took place at locations other than the Sangam Nose, which the government has acknowledged through giving some compensation. In UP's Jaunpur, Dharmbir Rajbhar received 500,000 rupees each for the deaths of his wife and daughter-in-law in the Airavat Marg crush.A video shot by the BBC on 29 January shows the family sitting with both bodies at the site. Back home, Rajbhar displayed the cash bundles and said, "The government promised 2.5m rupees, but the police gave only 500,000 rupees each and left."The UP police also travelled hundreds of kilometres to Paschim Bardhaman in West Bengal, where they handed over 500,000 rupees to the family of Vinod all families accepted the amount, though. In Bihar, the relatives of Sunaina Devi rejected it. They told the BBC that they refused to "sign false documents".Watch: Belongings strewn aside after India crushThirty killed in crowd crush at India's Kumbh Mela festivalThe BBC also identified at least five families who lost their relatives near Kalpavriksha Gate, about 3-4km from Sangam Devi, the wife of Panne Lal Sahni, says that her husband died around 8am on 29 January. "People were stepping over his body. I sat in the sun with his corpse until 4pm. No-one even gave us water," she says. The family received 500,000 rupees in of all five people who died near the Kalpavriksha Gate, had similar stories to narrate - they sat with the bodies from morning till time, 18 more families came forward claiming their relatives died in the crush but they haven't received compensation the 18 is Meena Pandey from Sultanpur, UP, who travelled to the Kumbh with her husband, and neighbour Archana Singh. Archana recalls sitting with Meena's body at the crush site until 3pm - seven hours after the claims of 2,750 AI-enabled CCTVs, 50,000 security personnel, drones and ambulances, no help arrived, relatives afternoon the body had begun to decay, says Archana."We had no choice but to carry it home in our vehicle." Like Meena Pandey's family, relatives of Shyamlal Gond from UP's Deoria are still waiting for son, Bhagirathi Gond, works as a daily wage labourer in Bengaluru. After the crush, he travelled to Prayagraj looking for his father, and reached the hospital on 3 to a slip from the hospital, Shyamlal Gond was brought in dead at 10.02 local time on 29 January."My father was listed as unidentified. To maintain records, they [hospital staff] had kept a file. They took a photo of the body in the condition it was found and pasted it into a register."He adds, "It was difficult to identify him through the photo. After the fall, his head was bent down, chest pushed upward, and his face had slightly turned."Bhagirathi says the hospital staff would not give him a death certificate or any other papers."They told me to take the body, but I said I would only do so if some official procedure was followed," he took four months before he got the death certificate. But he is still waiting for compensation for his loss."The government has still not acknowledged that my father died in the crush."Follow BBC News India on Instagram, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.
Daily Mail
28-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Glastonbury bosses closes stage amid crowd crush fears as Kneecap prepare to perform
Glastonbury bosses have closed the stage where controversial Irish language rap group Kneecap are set to perform today amid crowd crush fears. The rap trio were due to take to the West Holts stage at 4pm on Saturday, just over a week after one of their members appeared in court on terror charges. But some 45 minutes before their set was to start organisers were forced to shut off entry to the area surrounding the stage as it was already rammed with festivalgoers. Despite organisers deploying extra precautions to prevent crowd crushing, insiders have told MailOnline Glastonbury bosses are concerned about instances of dangerous overcrowding. To tackle the festival-wide problem of overcrowding at stages, daughter of the co-founder Emily Eavis said they had sold 'a few thousand fewer tickets' and expanded the capacity of the stages. But a source close to the festival has told MailOnline: 'Crowd crushing is still a massive concern at Glastonbury, over the weekend there are several warnings that have been issued to workers to watch out for certain areas. 'The Woodsies stage is the biggest headache because they've misjudged acts like Lola Young and Lorde so it definitely was a bit touch and go on Friday.' The controversial Irish band, Kneecap, told fans to get to their set early on their Instagram because 'The crowd expected today is far greater than West Holts capacity.' On June 18 the rapper was cheered by hundreds of supporters as he arrived with bandmates Westminster Magistrates' Court in Free Mo Chara T-shirts. The group has defended their previous provocative performances as 'satirical' ahead of performing at Glastonbury, as the BBC confirmed it would not be livestreaming their set. Their performance will not be live-streamed but is likely to be made available later on iPlayer, the BBC has said. Senior Westminster politicians have criticised their participation in the popular music festival and called for them to be removed from the line-up, but festival bosses refused to do so. British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said he does not think it is 'appropriate' for Kneecap to perform at Glastonbury, while Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch said she thought the BBC 'should not be showing' Kneecap's performance. Kneecap member Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, 27, appeared in court last week after being charged for allegedly displaying a flag in support of proscribed terrorist organisation Hezbollah while saying 'up Hamas, up Hezbollah' at a gig in November last year. The band were also criticised following footage of a November 2023 gig allegedly showing a member saying: 'The only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your local MP.' He was released on unconditional bail until the next hearing at the same court on August 20. Ó hAnnaidh, who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, said the videos only resurfaced after Kneecap performed at Coachella in April, where they said 'F*** Israel. Free Palestine '. Mo Chara, along with bandmates Naoise Ó Caireallain (Móglaí Bap), and JJ Ó Dochartaigh (DJ Próvaí), have repeatedly argued controversy surrounding their performances is a distraction from the horrors endured by Palestinians amid Israel's war in Gaza. They said they are happy to lose income and clout in order to be 'on the right side of history', and said they hoped that 'being vocal and being unafraid' would encourage other bands to speak up on Palestine. Kemi Badenoch retweeted a post on X on Saturday criticising the BBC for saying it would likely put Kneecap's set on iPlayer Immediately before the set at Glastonbury on Saturday, artist Bob Vylan in the slot prior displayed a Palestine flag as he walked on stage. A BBC spokesperson said: 'As the broadcast partner, the BBC is bringing audiences extensive music coverage from Glastonbury, with artists booked by the festival organisers. 'While the BBC doesn't ban artists, our plans ensure that our programming meets our editorial guidelines. 'We don't always live-stream every act from the main stages and look to make an on-demand version of Kneecap's performance available on our digital platforms, alongside more than 90 other sets.' It is understood the BBC needs to consider the performance before making a final decision. The band said on Instagram: 'The propaganda wing of the regime has just contacted us.... 'They WILL put our set from Glastonbury today on the iPlayer later this evening for your viewing pleasure.' But the group's loyal fanbase was left fuming by the news the performance would not be livestreamed. One said: 'Kneecap not going to be broadcast live from the BBC today, Jesus wept.' A second added: 'If the BBC can't broadcast #Glastonbury2025 live, as the licence fee paying public expect, then it's time to give the broadcasting rights to a provider who will. #Kneecap.' Another fan said: 'So the same BBC that gives a platform for genocide apologists every week, unchallenged by their pathetic 'reporters' will heavily edit KNEECAP'S set today and only show you what they think is relevant.' A fourth said: 'By trying to ban Kneecap all people are doing is highlighting their message. I dont like Kneecap but this Glasto/BBC charade has been pathetic.' In an interview with The Guardian newspaper ahead of Glastonbury, Ó hAnnaidh defended their performances as 'satirical'. 'It's a joke. I'm a character. Shit is thrown on stage all the time. If I'm supposed to know every f****** thing that's thrown on stage I'd be in Mensa,' he said. 'I don't know every proscribed organisation - I've got enough s**t to worry about up there. I'm thinking about my next lyric, my next joke, the next drop of a beat.' Asked about the 'dead Tory' comments, he said it was 'a joke' and 'we're playing characters'. 'It's satirical, it's a f****** joke. And that's not the point,' he said. 'The point is, that (video) wasn't an issue until we said 'Free Palestine' at Coachella. That stuff happened 18 months ago, and nobody batted an eyelid. 'Everybody agreed it was a f****** joke, even people that may have been in the room that didn't agree - it's a laugh, we're all having a bit of craic. 'The point is, and the context is, it all (resurfaced) because of Coachella. That's what we should be questioning, not whether I regret things.' Ó hAnnaidh added: 'If you believe that what a satirical band who play characters on stage do is more outrageous than the murdering of innocent Palestinians, then you need to give your head a f****** wobble.' Conservative Party leader Ms Badenoch previously said she thought the BBC 'should not be showing' Kneecap's performance at the festival. She wrote in a post on X: 'The BBC should not be showing Kneecap propaganda. 'One Kneecap band member is currently on bail, charged under the Terrorism Act. 'As a publicly funded platform, the BBC should not be rewarding extremism.' Meanwhile in an interview with The Sun, Sir Keir was asked if he thought the trio should perform at Glastonbury, to which he replied: 'No, I don't, and I think we need to come down really clearly on this. 'This is about the threats that shouldn't be made, I won't say too much because there's a court case on, but I don't think that's appropriate.' Glastonbury founder Sir Michael Eavis this week defended the decision to keep Kneecap in the line-up. Asked if the festival still stands for something, Sir Michael told Glastonbury Free Press, the festival's resident newspaper: 'Oh heaven's above, yes, of course it does. 'And I think the people that come here are into all those things. People that don't agree with the politics of the event can go somewhere else!' Formed in 2017, the group are known for their provocative lyrics in both Irish and English. Their best-known tracks include Get Your Brits Out, Better Way To Live, featuring Grian Chatten from Fontaines DC, and 3Cag.
