Douglas Murray launched a scathing attack on Glastonbury artists and festival-goers, branding their pro-Hamas stance a dangerous ‘fetish’ on the Mail’s Apocalypse Now podcast.
Speaking to special correspondent David Patrikarakos, the bestselling author and broadcaster drew a sobering parallel between the music event and Hamas‘s attacks on the Nova music festival on October 7, 2023.
Mr Murray argued that only by witnessing a similar terror attack on young Westerners would Glastonbury’s ‘moral reprobates’ finally grasp the threat Hamas poses and Israel‘s existential struggle.
This year’s Glastonbury courted controversy when punk-rap duo Bob Vylan led a televised crowd in chants of ‘death to the IDF’ – sparking a police investigation and condemnation from Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
‘The festival at Glastonbury has long been a sordid and immoral affair’, Murray said.
‘There’s always support for anyone who displays a hatred of the West. It is a shame because I think music should be a non-political place.
‘The fact that somebody can get a crowd to chant death to the IDF is morally despicable. We all know what that really means.
Douglas Murray launched a scathing attack on Glastonbury artists and festival-goers, branding their pro-Hamas stance a dangerous ‘fetish’
This year’s Glastonbury courted controversy when punk-rap duo Bob Vylan led a televised crowd in chants of ‘death to the IDF’
To listen to the exclusive interview with Douglas Murray, search for Apocalypse Now, wherever you get your podcasts. Listen now
‘The IDF is a citizen army, and Israel is the only Jewish state in the world. It means they’re wishing death upon thousands of brave, young men and women who fight for their country and the survival of their people.’
The Spectator columnist highlighted Bob Vylan’s other chant – ‘you want your country back, f*** that’ – labelling it hypocritical from supporters of a supposedly anti-colonialist cause.
The author argued: ‘This is a man who is saying that he’s against colonisation – but has expressed a desire to colonise my country, Britain.
‘He expressed that desire while morons are flying Palestinian flags – presumably because they too are interested in the indigenous rights of the Palestinians.
‘Well maybe the indigenous rights of the British people are worth protecting too. But they don’t care about that because the standard only applies if it’s anti-Western, anti us, in favour of literally anyone else.’
According to Mr Murray, this naive ‘anti-western cult’, spawned by modern social justice movements, has chosen Palestine as its ‘great fetish’.
The bestselling author first tackled this anti-Western ideology in his 2022 book, The War on the West.
His latest work, On Democracies and Death Cults, explores how these worldviews have shaped the Israel-Hamas conflict.
‘The great fetish of these people’s lives is the Palestinian people’, Murray told the podcast.
‘But what exactly do they think will happen if their pet fetish is ever allowed to win?
Douglas Murray: ‘Maybe the only thing that would ever wake up these moral reprobates at Glastonbury is if something like what happened at the Nova music festival happened to them.’ Listen here
According to Mr Murray, this naive ‘anti-western cult’, spawned by modern social justice movements, has chosen Palestine as its ‘great fetish’
The Nova festival memorial site in Re’im, Israel
‘The best-case scenario would be another Arab state in the region – which would be no more successful than say, Jordan.
‘Palestine would likely be another outpost of the Mullahs, as long as they’re still in power in Tehran. You’d just have yet another failed Arab state.
‘You won’t get an outbreak of world peace and love, as these people seem to believe. It’s as if were Palestine to get a state, something magical would happen.
‘Suddenly this unicorn would arrive and rights would be given to people all around the world, and trans people would be freed and there would be no more racism and injustice.’
Exasperated, the cultural critic concluded his attack on the festival by issuing a grave warning.
‘One wishes to resist the nastiest urges but… maybe the only thing that would ever wake up these moral reprobates at Glastonbury is if something like what happened at the Nova music festival happened to them or one of their friends.
‘Not more than 18 months ago, a music festival like Glastonbury had hundreds of Hamas terrorists come into it.
‘I heard first-hand how women were gang raped, shot in the jaw and tortured. I pray to God these people never have to discover the consequences of their own semi-thought.’
To listen to the exclusive interview with Douglas Murray, search for Apocalypse Now, wherever you get your podcasts.
