An inflatable boat with dummy migrants which was launched onto the crowd at Glastonbury during a gig was let loose by Banksy.
Idles, who were performing a set when the incident took place, say they were unaware of the stunt until they left the stage.
During last night’s performance, the rock band also led the Glastonbury crowd in chanting ‘f*** the king’ as the festival turned political with the band’s vocalist Joe Talbot also singing an ‘anti-Farage song’.
Friday’s display is not the first time that Banksy, believed to be public school-educated Robin Gunningham, has made his pro-migrant views known.
The graffiti artist previously funded a migrant rescue ship, which was impounded in Italy last year after responding to distress calls in the Mediterranean.
A blow-up small boat surfs the crowd during the performance by Idles at Glastonbury
Rock band Idles led the Glastonbury crowd in chanting ‘f*** the king’ as the festival turned political on Friday night
The band’s vocalist Joe Talbot also sang an ‘anti-Farage song’ while a small blow-up boat surfed the crowd in a pro-immigration protest
Talbot is the frontman of British rock band Idles
The MV Louise Michel was seized on the island of Lampedusa after Italy’s coast guard said the boat had disobeyed its instructions to head to Sicily.
Banksy was involved in rescuing migrants making crossings as early as September 2019, when he emailed German born activist Pia Klemp who has captained a number of NGO rescue ships.
He wrote: ‘Hello Pia, I’ve read about your story in the papers. You sound like a badass.
‘I am an artist from the UK and I’ve made some work about the migrant crisis, obviously I can’t keep the money. Could you use it to buy a new boat or something? Please let me know. Well done. Banksy.’
And in 2018, the artist ‘blitzed’ Paris with works criticising France’s tough anti-migrant policy at the time, including one featuring a young black girl spraying a pink wallpaper pattern over a swastika on a wall next to her sleeping bag and teddy bear in an attempt to make her patch of pavement more cosy.
Idles’ politically-charged performance was just one of a number of statements made during the third day of the festival in Somerset.
Blur frontman Damon Albarn discussed Gaza and suggested Joe Biden was too old to be president during his surprise appearance at Worthy Farm.
It came as Welsh singer Charlotte Church also sang ‘free Palestine’ and wore a keffiyeh as she led an improvised number with the audience.
Talbot swings his microphone around on the Other Stage at Glastonbury
Guitarist Lee Kiernan crowd-surfs during the Idles’ headline set at Glastonbury
Idles’ politically-charged performance was just one of a number of statements made during the third day of the festival in Somerset
Pictured: Damon Albarn performs with The Bombay Bicycle Club on The Other Stage
Blur frontman Damon Albarn discussed Gaza and suggested Joe Biden was too old to be president during his surprise appearance at Worthy Farm
Charlotte Church performs on the Left Field stage during the Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm in Somerset
Albarn came on stage to accompany indie band Bombay Bicycle Club for their song Heaven, on which he features for their latest album.
He was met with cheers of approval by a crowd of thousands as he made three political statements.
‘It’s very nice to be here thank you – thank you to Jack and everybody,’ Albarn said.
‘Three things – you have to show me how you feel about it – are you pro Palestine? Do you feel that’s an unfair war?
‘The importance of voting next week – I don’t blame you for being ambivalent about that, but it’s still really important.
‘And thirdly – maybe it’s time we stopped putting octogenarians in charge of the whole world?’
The latter appeared to be a reference to the 81-year-old Mr Biden, who has faced fierce criticism over his performance in a debate against Donald Trump.
Meanwhile Charlotte Church sang ‘free Palestine’ with a crowd of hundreds as she led an improvised number with the audience during an intimate and politically charged appearance at Glastonbury Festival.
The MV Louise Michel (pictured) – a rescue ship funded by Banksy – was seized in Lampedusa last year after Italy’s coast guard said the boat had disobeyed its instructions to head to Sicily
The MV Louise Michel pictured in Lampedusa last March
The Pyramid Stage on day three of Glastonbury Festival 2024 at Worthy Farm
Festival-goers sit amongst rubbish on day three of the Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm near Pilton, Somerset
Church told the crowd she would lead them in collaborative vocal improvisation, seeing her improvise lyrics over a chorus of humming from the audience
The Welsh singer’s performance at Worthy Farm comes months after she said police had to check on her because her safety and that of her family has been threatened after she took part in a pro-Palestine march in London.
The 38-year-old, who strongly denied claims of antisemitism at the time and voiced her support for Jewish people, joined Billy Bragg’s Radical Round Up at Worthy Farm’s Left Field stage on Friday.
Wearing a long red dress, Church also had a keffiyeh, a traditional Arab headdress which has become a symbol of Palestine, over her shoulder.
‘Hiya babes – lots of love from Wales my darlings,’ Church said as she greeted the crowd.
‘I sort of want to give you the mic today… there’s so much untapped singing potential in you guys which we’re going to explore.’
Church told the crowd she would lead them in collaborative vocal improvisation, seeing her improvise lyrics over a chorus of humming from the audience.
‘It’s Friday at Glastonbury, all the adventures you’re going to have and the things you’ll see, music, dance and sing,’ Church’s improvisation began.
‘The spirit of expression… and now you can say that you performed at Glastonbury, sing it to me now.’
Banksy has previously been rumoured to be involved in a woke new stage at the festival that celebrates immigration to the UK and declared that ‘no human is illegal’.
The new festival area, named Terminal 1, is constructed of yellow steel and glass and has been made to look like the part of an airport terminal where passengers board a plane.
Glastonbury has opened a new woke festival area dubbed Terminal 1 celebrating immigration to the UK, believed to be backed by Banksy
The new zone has been made from re-purposed airport materials boasting bags, trolleys and a departure board
Outside the stage there are ‘UK Border’ huts and poles covered in CCTV cameras, while a sign above the artists booth reads: ‘Powered by immigration’
The new stage which has been introduced declared that ‘no human is illegal’ (Pictured: a gate on day one of Glastonbury Festival 2024)
Named after a disused Heathrow Terminal, the festival area Outside the stage there are ‘UK Border’ sees revellers answer a question from the Citizenship test to gain entry
The stage is made from ‘re-purposed’ airport materials and comes complete with seats for passengers to wait, trolleys to carry bags, and a departures board.
Outside the stage there are ‘UK Border’ huts and poles covered in CCTV cameras, while a sign above the artists booth reads: ‘Powered by immigration.’
Glastonbury’s Terminal 1 area is named after the now disused Heathrow Terminal 1, which was in operation between 1968 and 2015.
Rumours have travelled around the festival site that secretive British graffiti artist Banksy was involved in producing the new area – although this has not been officially confirmed.
Announcing that Terminal 1 would be at the festival this year on social media, Glastonbury declared that ‘no human is illegal’.
The small print on the poster also states that ‘to gain entry all British citizens must successfully answer a question from the UKGOV citizenship test’.
The test, which those who apply for settlement in the UK must pass, has come under criticism for being ‘arbitrary’ with answers often unknown to even those born in Britain.
Glastonbury founder Sir Michael Eavis unveiled Terminal 1, explaining it is designed to help people grapple with complex immigration issues.
He expressed optimism over immigration, adding: ‘We can be friendly to these unfortunate people in the boats.
‘It’s demonstrating, the whole festival is, really, that you can get on with your neighbour. And they’re putting all of that into a show. Isn’t that amazing?’