UK's Glastonbury Festival awash with Palestinian support, silence on the hostages

Palestinian flags flew liberally throughout the five-day festival, with pop superstar Dua Lipa dancing over to the display to get them in the camera shot for the audience.

 Revellers enjoy as Little Simz performs on the Pyramid Stage during the Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm, in Pilton, Somerset, Britain, June 29, 2024. (photo credit: DYLAN MARTINEZ/REUTERS)
Revellers enjoy as Little Simz performs on the Pyramid Stage during the Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm, in Pilton, Somerset, Britain, June 29, 2024.
(photo credit: DYLAN MARTINEZ/REUTERS)

The iconic Glastonbury Festival taking place in Britain featured many displays of Palestinian identification, from performers and attendees alike.

Palestinian flags flew liberally throughout the five-day festival, with pop superstar Dua Lipa dancing over to the display to get them in the camera shot for the audience.

Blur’s Damon Albarn, who made a surprise appearance during Bombay Bicycle Club’s set on Friday, asked the festival-goers to cheer if they were “pro-Palestine” and agreed that there was an “unfair war” going on in Gaza.

Silence on the hostages abducted by Hamas

One Twitter user pointed out the lack of any mention during the festival of the Israeli hostages being held in Gaza or the hundreds of Israelis who were massacred by Hamas at the Nova Festival on October 7.

 “I wonder if the Palestinian flag-waving people at Glastonbury 2024 give a thought to the young people massacred at Nova,” read the tweet.

 REVELERS ENJOY the Glastonbury Festival in Pilton, Somerset, Britain, on Saturday.  (credit: DYLAN MARTINEZ/REUTERS)
REVELERS ENJOY the Glastonbury Festival in Pilton, Somerset, Britain, on Saturday. (credit: DYLAN MARTINEZ/REUTERS)

Coldplay, which made it a point during its current tour to emphasize the plight of the hostages, brought Palestinian-Chilean singer Elyanna on stage for their Glastonbury headline slot on Saturday.

Towards the end of band’s set, frontman Chris Martin called for unity at “what could be perceived to be a very divided time on Earth.”

“Thank you for giving us and me restored faith that most humans can gather together very peacefully with all different flags, all different colors, all different genders, sexualities, ages, everything, and just sing and have a good time and ice cream. There’s no fighting, nothing like that,” he said.