Cult artist Banksy has been accused of ‘celebrating’ migrant deaths in the Channel with his inflatable boat stunt at Glastonbury.
Home Secretary James Cleverly lashed out at the dinghy with dummy migrants which surfed the crowd at a set by Bristol rock band Idles on Friday night before returning for rapper Little Simz on Saturday.
The artist confirmed that the boat was his work following criticism from high-profile Conservative ministers over the weekend, and posted a video of the boat sailing through the crowd during the band’s set to his Instagram page.
Speaking to Sky News this morning, Mr Cleverly said: ‘There are a bunch of people there joking and celebrating about criminal actions which costs lives, people die.
‘People die in the Mediterranean, they die in the channel. This is not funny. It is vile. It is a celebration of the loss of life in the channel.’
Home Secretary James Cleverly lashed out at the dinghy with dummy migrants which surfed the crowd at a set by Bristol rock band Idles on Friday night (pictured) before returning for rapper Little Simz on Saturday.
Speaking to Sky News this morning, Mr Cleverly said: ‘There are a bunch of people there joking and celebrating about criminal actions which costs lives, people die.’
Asked if the boat could have been a commentary on the Conservatives‘ failure to stop the boats he said: ‘Our ability to sort that problem out has been hampered every stage by the Labour Party who aspire to border control.
‘They know that had they supported us, they voted over 130 times to prevent us taking greater control of our borders, the hypocrisy of the left on this issue is breathtaking and to joke about it, to celebrate it at a pop festival when there have been children dying in the channel is completely unacceptable.
It came after deputy PM Mr Dowden yesterday added his voice to the backlash, saying he was ‘really saddened’ by the gesture.
He highlighted how trafficking gangs endanger migrants who hand over thousands of pounds for hazardous journeys across the Channel which can prove fatal.
Only two months ago, five people – including a seven-year-old girl – died while trying to reach Britain by crossing the Channel from France.
Banksy’s was one of a series of political gestures by artists at the festival, which included Blur frontman Damon Albarn taking to the stage and asking the crowd ‘Are you pro-Palestine? Do you feel that’s an unfair war?’ during a surprise appearance.
Singer Charlotte Church sang ‘Free Palestine’ and wore a keffiyeh – a scarf seen as suggesting solidarity with Palestinians – as she led an improvised number with the audience.
Critics of the stances pointed out that the October 7 terror attacks carried out by Hamas started at a music festival.
Others said it was ironic that activists seemed to be advocating opposition to border controls when the Worthy Farm site is surrounded by a ring of steel.