London park festivals to go ahead as planned after court ruling, organisers say
Lawyers for Ms Shaman and the Protect Brockwell Park group wrote to the council following the ruling, asking it to 'confirm that the event has been cancelled' and to clear any fencing or infrastructure, and stating that Brockwell Live did not have planning permission.
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The Guardian
24-05-2025
- The Guardian
Those who object to music events shutting off parks are branded nimbys. But this time, I'm on their side
A grassy south London oasis erupted into a turf war this week. From Monday, visitors to Brockwell Park would have seen calling cards left by both sides. The provocation? A sturdy 3-metre-high boundary fence, encircling large swathes of the 50-hectare (125-acre) stretch that has been designated for music festivals this summer. Daubed on the structure were signs of discord: graffitied messages in stark white lettering. 'You fucked our park,' read one. 'We fucked your wall.' Brockwell is now the hottest front in a conflict that has started to rear its head in the capital every summer. A week ago, it made the front pages in the form of a bombshell high court ruling against Lambeth council. The authority responsible for the park lost a case brought by Protect Brockwell Park (PBP), a group of local residents and park users who argued that the council had not obtained the proper planning permissions for the back-to-back run of events scheduled to take place behind the boundary fence. It had used permitted development rules to rubber-stamp the events quickly, on the basis that they would only block off a substantial section of the park for 28 days. In reality, this wasn't true, the residents argued. Factoring in erecting and dismantling festival infrastructure, it was actually more like 37 days where public park access would be restricted. The council should have been subjecting these events to a full planning application process – including public consultation – before granting approval. The judge found in PBP's favour. Yet the festivals remained on the park's summer schedule. As the date of the first event – Wide Awake, an alternative music shindig headlined by the rappers Kneecap – approached, Lambeth rushed through a certificate of lawfulness, allowing for public comment, and on Friday the festival opened its gates. The clash has captured public imagination, igniting a now well-worn narrative of nimbys versus nightlife. The PBP campaigners are being cast by some as meddling, out-of-touch 'gentrifiers', akin to affluent folk moving into a buzzy area and immediately lobbying for a beloved local pub or scrappy independent music venue to shut down because they want to retire to bed by 10pm. As a left-leaning millennial, I'd normally be inclined to side with the festivals. After all, we must protect our endangered cultural sphere from further attacks. Except what is happening here isn't so clear-cut. Over the past few years, the city's parks have become increasingly available for hire. The London summer day festival, as in other cities, is now an institution and there has been a proliferation of commercial events concentrated in certain large parks: Victoria, Finsbury and Brockwell are top of the list. Behind every 'summer series' of festivals is an unhappy residents' group. People who live near to and rely on these green spaces feel they are being shut out of public land that should be for all of us to benefit from, in favour of what they perceive to be commercial interests. Many of the large events being objected to are not even remotely close to resembling the accessible, community space of a local pub. The heart of this issue seems to be how cash-strapped councils are becoming increasingly beholden to commercial interests to the detriment of the public. A weekend festival that welcomes 50,000 people can expect to raise about £500,000 for local authorities. Councils argue that this money goes back in the public purse, allowing them to continue funding free community events such as Lambeth's beloved Country Show, though there doesn't seem to be much transparency over exactly how much cash is raised or where it is allocated. But when you strip away the jargon, what is essentially happening is the privatisation of local parks. As well as concerns about the long-term impact on ecology, campaigners point out this often takes place in boroughs where many don't have access to private green space. In Lambeth, with its many flats, this counts for 60% of households. Adding salt to the wound for residents is the lack of opportunity for public interjection. In the neighbouring borough of Southwark, the council conducts consultations for events proposed for local parks. Residents have their say, and recently indicated their approval for a music festival in Southwark Park. No high court battles there. As for arguments about gentrifiers shutting down fun, they seem rather misplaced. The objectors are local people; the festivals are the interlopers, attracting tens of thousands of mostly young revellers who swoop in for the day (with daily ticket prices for the events starting from about £80), have their fun, then leave again. Complaints about such events may have once been the preserve of the nimby contingent, but the movement has grown in line with the increasing length and impact of the park takeovers. That's not to say the festivals have no benefit. They provide secure summer work in an increasingly unstable industry. Small businesses – such as food trucks serving attenders – obviously do well out of them. And they are undoubtedly popular – there's a reason big companies have snaffled up events such as Field Day and Mighty Hoopla. But the involvement of such corporations has kicked an existential threat into high gear. The ultimate issue is the way that private interests have managed to successfully position themselves as the gatekeepers of possibility. That cultural events can only happen if we sell off public space. That we can't maintain local services without money from private equity. That we should just accept the routine privatisation of taxpayer-funded assets as the price of having a good time. Is this a model we want to entrench? London may be ground zero, but what is happening here is likely to be the bellwether for cities across the UK in the coming years. Very few want to see the festivals scrapped altogether. But a worrying precedent is being set. One long-term Brixton resident, himself a dedicated organiser of parties, reluctantly conceded to me recently: 'I'd welcome smaller, better-managed events that don't disrupt access or damage the park and that benefit the borough. But this current situation has become unbearable.' Moya Lothian-McLean is associate editor at Mill Media
Powys County Times
23-05-2025
- Powys County Times
Kneecap announce new song ahead of headline performance at London's Wide Awake
Irish rap trio Kneecap have announced they will release a new song ahead of their headline performance at London's Wide Awake festival, just two days after one of their members was charged with a terror offence. The band, made up of Liam O hAnnaidh, Naoise O Caireallain and JJ O Dochartaigh, thanked the '25,000 legends' who will be attending Friday night's performance in a post on Instagram, while revealing the new song will be released at 1pm. The band's post read: 'Well well London heads. Some day coming up. 'We've a brand new track landing in our WhatsApp channel at 1pm. 'Kemi Badenoch you might wanna sit down for this one, if you've any seats left. View this post on Instagram A post shared by KNEECAP (@kneecap32) 'Then we're at Wide Awake in Brockwell Park London for a headline show to 25,000 legends tonight.' Conservative Party leader Badenoch has called for Kneecap to be banned and suggested they should be dropped from the Glastonbury Festival line-up. A number of other politicians have made the same demand. Last year, Kneecap won a discrimination case against the UK Government in Belfast High Court after former business secretary Badenoch tried to refuse them a £14,250 funding award when she was a minister. In another post, the band showed a short clip of their soundcheck at the Brockwell Park festival. It comes after O hAnnaidh, who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, was charged over the alleged display of a Hezbollah flag at a gig at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town, north London, in November last year, the Metropolitan Police said on Wednesday. The band held a surprise gig at the 100 Club on Oxford Street on Thursday, where O hAnnaidh could be seen in videos on social media arriving on stage with tape covering his mouth. He then joked about being careful what he said before adding he wanted to thank his lawyer. The rapper said: 'I need to thank my lawyer he's here tonight as well.' Police said they were at the central London venue on Thursday evening to manage visitors to the sold-out event. The band said on X that the event sold out in 90 seconds, with 2,000 people on the waiting list. On Monday, a spokesperson for several planned music festivals due to take place in Brockwell Park in Lambeth said none will be cancelled following a High Court ruling over planning permission. Last week, Rebekah Shaman, a resident in the area and a member of the Protect Brockwell Park group, successfully brought legal action against Lambeth Council over the use of parts of the park for the festivals. In a ruling last week, Mr Justice Mould said that the authority's decision to certify the planned use of the land as lawful was 'irrational'. Lawyers for Ms Shaman and the Protect Brockwell Park group wrote to the council following the ruling, asking it to 'confirm that the event has been cancelled' and to clear any fencing or infrastructure, and stating that Brockwell Live did not have planning permission. But on Monday, a spokesperson for Brockwell Live said no events would be cancelled, with Lambeth Council confirming that the event's organisers, Summer Events Limited, had reapplied for planning permission. O hAnnaidh, 27, was charged by postal requisition and is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on June 18, the Metropolitan Police said. In response to the charge, the group said in a social media statement: '14,000 babies are about to die of starvation in Gaza, with food sent by the world sitting on the other side of a wall, and once again the British establishment is focused on us. 'We deny this 'offence' and will vehemently defend ourselves, this is political policing, this is a carnival of distraction. 'We are not the story, genocide is, as they profit from genocide, they use an 'anti-terror law' against us for displaying a flag thrown on stage. A charge not serious enough to even warrant their crown court, instead a court that doesn't have a jury. What's the objective? 'To restrict our ability to travel. To prevent us speaking to young people across the world. To silence voices of compassion. To prosecute artists who dare speak out. 'Instead of defending innocent people, or the principles of international law they claim to uphold, the powerful in Britain have abetted slaughter and famine in Gaza, just as they did in Ireland for centuries. Then, like now, they claim justification. 'The IDF units they arm and fly spy plane missions for are the real terrorists, the whole world can see it.' Officers from the Met's Counter Terrorism Command were made aware on April 22 of an online video from the event, police said. An investigation led to the Crown Prosecution Service authorising the charge. Earlier this month, the Metropolitan Police said Kneecap were being investigated by counter-terrorism police after videos emerged allegedly showing the band calling for the deaths of MPs and shouting 'up Hamas, up Hezbollah'. The rap trio have had gigs cancelled after the footage emerged but are still listed to headline Wide Awake. They apologised last month to the families of murdered MPs but said footage of the incident had been 'exploited and weaponised'. Kneecap also said they have 'never supported' Hamas or Hezbollah, both of which are banned in the UK. In 2024, the band released an eponymous film, starring Oscar-nominated actor Michael Fassbender, a fictionalised retelling of how the band came together and follows the Belfast group on their mission to save their mother tongue through music. Formed in 2017, the group are known for their provocative lyrics in both Irish and English languages, and merchandise. Their best-known tracks include Get Your Brits Out, Better Way To Live, featuring Grian Chatten from Fontaines DC, and 3Cag.
Belfast Telegraph
23-05-2025
- Belfast Telegraph
Kneecap to release new track ahead of headline slot at London festival: ‘Kemi Badenoch you might wanna sit down for this one'
The new music from the band comes just two days after one of their members was charged with a terror offence. Liam Og O hAnnaidh, who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, has been charged over the alleged display of a flag in support of Hezbollah at a gig at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town, north London, in November last year, the Metropolitan Police said on Wednesday. The group, who rap in the Irish language, have a headline slot at Wide Awake Festival in Brockwell Park, south London, later on Friday night. In a post on social media, the band said they have 'some day coming up'. "We've a brand new landing in our WhatsApp channel at 1pm,' they wrote. 'Kemi Badenoch you might wanna sit down for this you've any seats left. 'Then we're at Wide Awake in Brockwell Park London for a headline show to 15,000 legends tonight.' We need your consent to load this Social Media content. We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. The reference from the band to Ms Badenoch is part of an ongoing back and forward stretching back to last year, after Kneecap won their discrimination case against the previous government, when the Conservative leader refused the trio funding in her then ministerial role. Last year, the UK Government conceded it was 'unlawful' that the group were refused a £14,250 funding award by Ms Badenoch. Kneecap launched legal action claiming the decision to refuse the grant discriminated against them on grounds of nationality and political opinion. It comes after the band held a surprise gig at the 100 Club on Oxford Street on Thursday, where O hAnnaidh could be seen in videos on social media arriving on stage with tape covering his mouth. He then joked about being careful what he said before saying he wanted to thank his lawyer. He said: 'I need to thank my lawyer he's here tonight as well.' Police said they were at the central London venue on Thursday evening to manage visitors to the sold-out event. The band said on X that the event sold out in 90 seconds, with 2,000 people on the waiting list. On Monday, a spokesperson for several planned music festivals due to take place in Brockwell Park in Lambeth said none will be cancelled following a High Court ruling over planning permission. Last week, Rebekah Shaman, a resident in the area and a member of the Protect Brockwell Park group, successfully brought legal action against Lambeth Council over the use of parts of the park for the festivals. In a ruling last week, Mr Justice Mould said that the authority's decision to certify the planned use of the land as lawful was 'irrational'. Lawyers for Ms Shaman and the Protect Brockwell Park group wrote to the council following the ruling, asking it to 'confirm that the event has been cancelled' and to clear any fencing or infrastructure, and stating that Brockwell Live did not have planning permission. But on Monday, a spokesperson for Brockwell Live said that no events would be cancelled, with Lambeth Council confirming that the event's organisers, Summer Events Limited, had reapplied for planning permission. O hAnnaidh, 27, was charged by postal requisition and is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on June 18, the Metropolitan Police said. Kneecap: A timeline of controversy and success In response to the charge, the group said in a social media statement: 'We deny this 'offence' and will vehemently defend ourselves, this is political policing, this is a carnival of distraction. 'We are not the story, genocide is, as they profit from genocide, they use an 'anti-terror law' against us for displaying a flag thrown on stage. A charge not serious enough to even warrant their crown court, instead a court that doesn't have a jury. What's the objective? 'To restrict our ability to travel. To prevent us speaking to young people across the world. To silence voices of compassion. To prosecute artists who dare speak out. 'Instead of defending innocent people, or the principles of international law they claim to uphold, the powerful in Britain have abetted slaughter and famine in Gaza, just as they did in Ireland for centuries. Then, like now, they claim justification. 'The IDF units they arm and fly spy plane missions for are the real terrorists, the whole world can see it.' Earlier this month, the Metropolitan Police said Kneecap were being investigated by counter-terrorism police after videos emerged allegedly showing the band calling for the deaths of MPs and shouting 'up Hamas, up Hezbollah'. The rap trio have had gigs cancelled after the footage emerged but are still listed to headline Wide Awake. They apologised last month to the families of murdered MPs but said footage of the incident had been 'exploited and weaponised'. They also said they have 'never supported' Hamas or Hezbollah, which are banned in the UK. Ms Badenoch has called for Kneecap to be banned while other politicians pushed for the group to be dropped from the Glastonbury Festival line-up.
