Ismail Patel, visiting research fellow at the University of Leeds and Chair of NGO Friends of Al-Aqsa, has written in a column for Middle East Eye that Britain is “more worried about words than war crimes”

He writes: “The controversy ignited by Bob Vylan’s Glastonbury performance – specifically the chant of “death to the IDF”, in reference to the Israeli army – has exposed far more than artistic outrage. 

It has laid bare the limits of free speech in Britain when it comes to Palestine, the deep discomfort with confronting complicity, and the ease with which expressions of solidarity are demonised as hate.

Glastonbury has long served as a cultural platform for political protest. From the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament to environmental justice, anti-poverty activism, women’s rights and LGBTQ+ equality, it has never shied away from uncomfortable truths. 

The festival’s founder, Michael Eavis, famously said that if people don’t like the politics of Glastonbury, they “can go somewhere else”. 

The festival also hosts a dedicated political space called Left Field, featuring daily debates and discussions on a wide range of issues. Over the years, the festival has witnessed powerful political moments, from solidarity with striking miners in the 1980s to a video address by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in 2022.”

You can read the full column below. 

Opinion: Britain is more worried about words than war crimes