Hozier’s recent headline set at Reading & Leeds Festival somehow found itself not being aired by the BBC.
In what many won’t believe to be a coincidence, this set included some very strong statements against the genocide in Gaza, as well as support for Kneecap and other musicians who’ve spoke up about this. His speech also included some jabs at the banning of Palestine Action.
View this post on Instagram
It’s no secret that the BBC is trying to avoid broadcasting any anti-Israel sentiment.
This especially the case after Bob Vylan slipped through the cracks back in June and were able to get a chant of “death, death to the IDF” going live on the BBC’s Glastonbury Festival coverage.
The broadcaster has since released a statement making clear that “Any music performances deemed high risk will now not be broadcast live or streamed live”.
View this post on Instagram
The BBC have tried to claim that Hozier’s set was not broadcast because Hozier and the BBC “mutually agreed” for his set not to be shown. However, many are sceptical of how this agreement came about.
How often is an artist deemed unworthy of being broadcast at the festival they’re headlining? And what does it say about the state of the BBC, that an artist whose mid-set speech lauded those willing to “tell the truth” feels the BBC stands counter to this?
Again, it’s nothing new. The BBC have already lost their facade of impartiality – now they are left jumping through hoops to disguise their hypocrisy.
But no matter how hard they try to contain these musicians, they simply can’t. The words of these artists are the reflection of millions of ordinary people who are feeling the same anger and disgust at this system that creates endless barbarity and suffering in Gaza.
It’s not just Hozier. Recent weeks have seen acts like The Mary Wallopers, Enter Shikari, Kneecap, and more using their platform to denounce the genocide. All the while, the vast majority of their audiences cheer them on.
In the case of The Mary Wallopers, their Victorious festival set in Portsmouth was abruptly cut off by the organisers after they held up the Palestine flag on stage.
View this post on Instagram
The organisers quickly backtracked and apologised for the move, however – after widespread backlash, including three other bands pulling out of the festival in protest hours before they were due on stage!
With the current pro-Palestine mood within Britain and the rest of the world – and a genocide that seems to be constantly escalating – there’s no doubt that we’ll see more artists defying censorship and standing up against the establishment.
