During what some have dubbed ‘Nuremberg at Glastonbury’, we heard, thanks to the BBC for their unfiltered live-stream, death chants the likes of which haven’t surfaced since the 1930s – not counting, of course, the activist celebration of Hamas’ crimes against humanity on October 7.
Music performer Kneecap and his rap-kin Bob Vylan engaged in an orgy of disturbing chants cheered on by the keffiyeh-wearing woke progressives.
The BBC, which by any reasonable standard should have been able to foresee that these performances would violate their broadcasting standards, belatedly apologised for live-streaming ‘Death to the IDF!’ and removed the event from their on-demand service.
Too little, too late.
The festival footage had already been broadcast into the homes of a hapless audience who perhaps hoped they might be watching a music festival rather than a political rally. But hey – that’s entertainment for you, proudly presented by the BBC.
However, there is some meagre light showing through from behind the clouds.
It has been reported that Vylan’s agent and manager have pulled the pin and America has revoked his visa, which has meant the demise of his US tour.
Authorities are investigating several performances at Glastonbury, but don’t hold your breath.
In Australia, on Sunday, we had the unedifying but unsurprising spectacle of a pro-Palestine march echoing the words from Glastonbury – ‘From the river to the sea…’ and all the rest.
Victorian Police did very little except watch.
Authorities also did little when Jews were referred to as the descendants of apes and monkeys, along with other ‘charmingly’ antisemitic statements from Islamic preachers.
The ECAJ – the roof body of the Australian Jewry – launched a civil prosecution claiming that several statements made by one Islamic preacher breached Section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act.
Today, they have been vindicated with a resounding victory.
It cannot be that there is an untrammelled right to spew antisemitic venom, especially as we face record levels of antisemitism in Australia, coupled with an insipid political leadership that does little to address the situation.
This is the same leadership that watched, ‘Gas the Jews!’ chanted on the steps of the Sydney Opera House and has since failed to address the rise in hate speech in the 20 months since.
It is left up to us to call out this behaviour and inaction.
Bravo to the ECAJ for launching the case and to the decision itself.
Maybe, just maybe, the scenes at Glastonbury will serve as a wake-up call.
And perhaps the victory of the ECAJ will alert those masquerading as human rights activists that calling for genocide puts them on the wrong side of history.