Jo Cox Foundation CEO Calls On Glastonbury To Cancel Controversial Band Booking

2 June 2019, 17:40

The CEO of the Jo Cox Foundation calls on Glastonbury Festival to drop a booking for a controversial 'punk rock' band, saying they are "complicit" in 'spreading hate'.

Two bands calling for members of the Conservative Party to be killed have been booked to perform at Glastonbury.

One band, named Killdren, has a song titled 'Kill Tory Scum', which includes lyrics: "Even if it's your dad or your mum, kill Tory scum, kill Tory scum...murder them all to the beat of a drum, kill Tory scum, kill Tory scum."

But the CEO of the Jo Cox Foundation said she was concerned about the bands performing at Glastonbury, saying it was "part of a bigger picture" of 'worsening' language and tone.

Speaking to Ian Payne on LBC, Catherine Anderson said: "I'm not talking about an artists' right to sing about difficult issues, but I am talking about the direct incitement of violence in particularly against one political group.

"I'm definitely worried about it in the terms of Glastonbury itself, but I'm also very concerned about how it fits into this bigger spectrum of abuse and intimidation generally."

Ms Anderson said: "It's really horrible and it doesn't show us in good light at all, and I do worry.

"The Jo Cox Foundation exists to build a positive legacy for an MP who was murdered just three years ago and it's extremely concerning that people think it's okay to talk about violence and death and the killing of MPs particularly after Jo's murder."

Watch above.