Woman who live-streamed Kneecap’s Glastonbury performace opens up about online abuse
Helen Wilson, the woman who live-streamed Kneecap‘s Glastonbury Festival performance live in reaction to the BBC’s decision to refuse live coverage, has opened up about a host of online abuse she has been subjected to.
In a new interview with The Guardian, Wilson commented on the decision to live-stream the show, stating, “I just thought, I’m just going to live stream it because the BBC aren’t showing it. And I really disagreed with that. I did not think for a moment that over 2 million people would see it.” For a while, she didn’t realise how many people were watching the live stream due to the sun shining on her phone.
The BBC’s decision was the result of mounting pressure from high-ranking politicians, including Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who called upon Glastonbury to remove Kneecap from its lineup, claiming they were “not appropriate”.
Wilson described “obscene” abuse she has experienced online. She has been called a “nazi” and has had to delete many comment from the Facebook page of her business.
She added, “More people need to know what is going on in Palestine. And we shouldn’t be censoring bands under freedom of speech, full stop. We shouldn’t be censoring anybody who is trying to raise awareness of the atrocities that are taking place.” Wilson’s live stream reached far and wide; at one point, it was projected in a pub in Kneecap’s hometown.
Kneecap hailed the business-owner for this. In a reply to a clip shared on her TikTok, the band expressed gratitude for her efforts, writing: “Helen, you’re a legend! Tickets to any show—just give me a shout! Grma.”
Wilson replied, “I cannot believe this. Thank you so much for everything you do and stand for.”
Some of the messages she received attacked her personal appearance. For example, she revealed that someone wrote to her on Instagram, saying, “You’re just a wrinkled old woman looking for attention.” She also noted that a tabloid newspaper referred to her as “middle-aged”: “What has that got to do with anything?” Wilson asked.
It turned out that the BBC exerted all their energy on the wrong band, given that they allowed a live stream of Bob Vylan’s set to go ahead. Bob Vylan, a London-based punk duo, slammed the BBC for their complicity in and censorship of “the genocide”. They also led the crowd through a “death death to the IDF” chant. The Head of Music at the BBC, as well as a small team of senior leads, have relinquished their duties as a result.
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