How it felt to watch Glastonbury as a member of the Jewish community
The widely disseminated views and statements of acts at Glastonbury, the inability or unwillingness of the organisers to intervene and the broadcasting of it by the BBC tell you all you need to know about the lack of respect shown to my community.
A criminal investigation has now been launched into Bob Vylan's performance. The outcome will shed light on the question of whether we live in a two-tier Britain.
Gareth T L Kreike
Bury, Lancashire
SIR – I have not followed Lord Hermer's career closely, but I assume he must be a clever and learned person to have reached his present position.
It is therefore surprising that he feels the accusations of two-tier justice in Britain are 'disgusting' and should be dismissed outright (report, June 28). He focuses on people who compare the policing of recent marches in London with that of the riots in the wake of the Southport murders. Yet there are surely comparisons to be made between the treatment of pro-Palestinian demonstrators and those supporting Israel ('Met threatens to charge man over Israeli flag', report, June 24), or sentencing for people talking about violence and those perpetrating it.
Graeme Brierley
Sutton Bridge, Lincolnshire
SIR – The organisers of Glastonbury Festival say they are 'appalled' by the behaviour of one of their acts (report, June 30). Did they not foresee that their behaviour on stage might be designed to provoke?
Stuart Geddes
Monmouth
SIR – At Glastonbury, the talentless 'Death to the IDF' singer of Bob Vylan also chanted the timeless lyrics: 'Heard you want your country back/[mimes crying] Shut the f--- up/You can't have that'.
Who can claim that the culture wars don't exist?
Daniel Dieppe
Barnet, Hertfordshire
SIR – Wes Streeting has told the Israelis to 'get their house in order' (report, June 30). This was his response to criticism from the Israeli embassy in light of the events at Glastonbury.
What about the NHS? Recently, doctors from the Jewish Medical Association feared for their safety at the British Medical Association's annual conference (report, June 24). Around 10 per cent of the motions related to Gaza. If Jewish doctors feel unsafe with their colleagues, what does that mean for the safety of Jewish patients?
Perhaps the Health Secretary should get his own house in order first.
Dr Jonathan Simon
Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex
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The Guardian
29 minutes ago
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The Independent
an hour ago
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