The Conversation (0)
Liam O'Dell
18s
Leon Neal/Getty Images
When the BBC decided it was not going to livestream Irish rap trio Kneecap’s performance at this year’s Glastonbury Festival (it is, however, available on iPlayer), one woman – referred to only as ‘Helen from Wales’ online – has gone viral on social media for her decision to livestream the entire gig on TikTok instead.
Helen Wilson’s live video received more than a million views on the social media platform during the set on Saturday by the group, whose attendance at Worthy Farm brought controversy to the festival as member Mo Chara (real name Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh) faces a terrorism charge over a Hezbollah flag – which the group have denied and branded “political policing”.
Kneecap went on to brand Helen a “legend” for livestreaming the performance from the West Holts stage, adding: “Tickets to any show just giz a shout!”
In follow-up videos addressing the viral moment, Helen said she decided to livestream because she “knew it wasn’t going to be on the BBC”.
“This is about the genocide in Palestine, and it’s about the censorship of the BBC. It’s nothing to do with me.
“I’ve had people calling me a ‘terrorist’, a ‘parasite’, I just wanted to tell you that, really, that I’m feeling a little bit anxious and a little bit vulnerable.
“I am feeling a little bit anxious, because people are saying some really nasty things, and it’s a little bit upsetting, I suppose … but I’ve always been one to stand up for my beliefs,” she said.
Meanwhile, supporters have since discovered Helen’s business – the Ground Coffee Shop in Swansea, which she runs with Matt Barker-Smith – and called on others to leave positive reviews on Facebook and Google, which they have:
On Facebook, users wrote that the shop was “on the right side of coffee and humanity”, and that Helen is a “total legend”, with the business receiving a recommendation rate of 94 per cent at the time of writing.
Over on the official Google page for Ground Coffee Shop, one reviewer wrote: “Shoutout comrade Helen from TikTok.”
Another thanked Helen for her “service against censorship” and claimed the food is “divine”.
Alongside the controversy over Kneecap’s performance at Glastonbury, fellow West Holts performers Bob Vylan, a punk duo, have sparked a backlash after vocalist Bobby Vylan started a chant of “death to the IDF [Israeli Defense Forces]” during their set.
After initially stating that they were assessing video evidence of both Bob Vylan and Kneecap’s performances “to determine whether any offences may have been committed that would require a criminal investigation”, Avon and Somerset Police said on Monday that “further enquiries are required” and that a “criminal investigation is now being undertaken”.
“A senior detective has been appointed to lead this investigation. This has been recorded as a public order incident at this time while our enquiries are at an early stage,” it said.
Vylan’s remarks have even caught the attention of US politicians, with Texas senator Ted Cruz claiming the “thousands of people screaming ‘death to the IDF’” were the “base of the Democrat Party” – despite the festival taking place in Somerset, England.
Bob Vylan have also had their US visas revoked as a result of “their hateful tirade at Glastonbury”, according to US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, commenting on Monday just hours after they were reportedly ‘dropped’ by their agents.
Why not read…
- JK Rowling breaks silence following activists' Glastonbury poster
- 'Call off Glasto, it's peaked': The 8 best flags at Glastonbury 2025
Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter
How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel
Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.