Glastonbury Organiser Says Those Who Don't Agree With Festival's Politics 'Can Go Elsewhere'

Michael Eavis pictured in 2023Michael Eavis has insisted that politics still play an important part of Glastonbury’s identity.The 89-year-old festival founder was recently interviewed by the Glastonbury Free Press about whether he thinks that the huge-scale music event still stands for something (as reported by The Guardian).“Oh heaven’s above, yes, of course it does,” he said. “And I think the people that come here are into all those things.”Michael added: “People that don’t agree with the politics of the event can go somewhere else.”As well as musical performances, this year’s Glastonbury will include a number of political events.These will include a talk about “what[’s] next for the Left” by commentators like Ash Sarkar and Gary Younge, as well as a debate about the rise of the “far-right” in our contemporary society with Labour’s Zarah Sultana.Green Party MP Caroline Lucas will also make an appearance for a discussion titled Saving The Planet But Not Leaving Workers Behind, while Gary Lineker will take part in a panel called Standing Up For ‘Getting Along’ In A World That’s Being Pushed Apart.Glastonbury's iconic Pyramid Stage pictured on Wednesday nightOne of the most talked-about acts at this year’s Glastonbury will be Kneecap, who are due to appear after one of its members was charged with a terror offence.Kneecap have long maintained that they’ve been the victims of a “witchhunt” and “smear campaign” ever since their set at the Coachella music festival in April, where they expressed solidarity with Palestine amid the current conflict in the Middle East, leading the crowd in a chant of “free Palestine’ and projecting the message “fuck Israel” onto the screens behind them.Days later, it was reported that counter-terrorism officers were assessing a resurfaced video filmed at one of the group’s gigs that took place five months earlier, during which they reportedly declared “up Hamas, up Hezbollah”.It was subsequently confirmed that musician Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh – better known to Kneecap fans by stage name Mo Chara – had been charged with a terror offence, for allegedly brandishing the flag of the proscribed terrorist group Hezbollah, after being handed it by a member of the crowd at Kneecap’s London show in November 2024.Kneecap responded: “We deny this ‘offence’ and will vehemently defend ourselves. This is political policing. This is a carnival of distraction. We are not the story. Genocide is.”Prime minister Keir Starmer has voiced the opinion it is “inappropriate” for Kneecap’s Saturday afternoon slot to go ahead, to which the group wrote on Instagram: “You know what’s ‘not appropriate’ Keir?! Arming a fucking genocide…”Michael Eavis’ daughter Emily is now one of the event’s organisers, and shared her take on the Kneecap controversy during an interview on Wednesday morning.READ MORE:11 Must-See Performances If You're Watching Glastonbury From Home This YearThe BBC Sets The Record Straight About Why They Won't Be Airing Neil Young's Glastonbury SetGlastonbury Organiser Breaks Silence On Controversy Over Kneecap's Spot On This Year's Line-Up

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