The Libertines performed at Glastonbury Festival on Sunday afternoon and were seen waving Palestinian flags on stage – although they were involved in an awkward moment
The Libertines found themselves silenced as they attempted to voice their support for Palestine during their closing set. The legendary indie group took to the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury on Sunday afternoon, just ahead of Rod Stewart’s performance.
They were greeted by a massive audience as they belted out their chart-toppers including Can’t Stand Me Now and Don’t Look Back into the Sun. As Pete Doherty and Carl Barat bid farewell to the sea of fans, drummer Gary Powell chose to remain on stage, hoisting a Palestine flag that had been present throughout their gig.
He tried to initiate a ‘Free Palestine’ chant, echoing sentiments heard across the festival over the weekend. However, his efforts fell on deaf ears as his microphone was switched off.
An insider revealed to the Mirror: “The camera was zoomed in on his mouth so everyone could clearly see he was mouthing the phrase ‘free free Palestine’ but the mic was muted.
“Those at the front tried to get the chant going on his behalf but it fizzled out and he gave up and left the stage. Fans leaving debated if it was intentional as he picked up and waved the flag before heading to the mic,” reports the Mirror.
On Saturday, Irish rap trio Kneecap and duo Bob Vylan stirred up controversy with their politically-charged messages during their sets. Both acts performed on the West Holts Stage, and police have since confirmed they are reviewing footage from the stage.
Avon and Somerset Police released a statement on X, saying: “We are aware of the comments made by acts on the West Holts Stage at Glastonbury Festival this afternoon.”
The force added that “Video evidence will be assessed by officers to determine whether any offences may have been committed that would require a criminal investigation.”
During their performances, both bands sparked chants of ‘Free Palestine’, while Kneecap initiated a chant of ‘f*** Keir Starmer’ and Bob Vylan shouted ‘death to the IDF’.
In response, festival organisers statted: “Their chants very much crossed a line and we are urgently reminding everyone involved in the production of the festival that there is no place at Glastonbury for antisemitism, hate speech or incitement to violence.”
The incident has been condemned by Health Secretary Wes Streeting and the Israeli embassy, with Streeting warning that the BBC and Glastonbury have “questions to answer”. He described the incident as a “pretty shameless publicity stunt”.
The Daily Star has reached out to a representative of The Libertines for comment.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
