Another tier of justice at Glastonbury
Whipping up the mob with language designed to encourage violence is unlawful. It is the reason why Lucy Connolly, a child minder and mother, is serving a lengthy jail term for a tweet she posted after the Southport murders last year. Mrs Connolly accepted her guilt and was given what many consider an excessively harsh sentence.
So what are we to make of the goings on at Glastonbury at the weekend? A hitherto (and deservedly) obscure duo called Bob Vylan called for 'death' to the Israeli military.
At the very least this is the sort of hate speech that virtually guarantees a visit from the police if done online but not, it seems, in front of thousands of festival-goers. Is it surprising that people believe there is a two-tier legal system – a phrase dismissed by Lord Hermer, the Attorney General last week as 'disgusting' – when they see the law applied in such a blatantly biased way? Perhaps Lord Hermer can ensure Bob Vylan are properly investigated by the police and sent to prison if convicted.
The other 'band' that used Glastonbury as a platform for their bone-headed world view was, inevitably, Kneecap, the Northern Irish outfit named after a brutal form of IRA retributive violence. Their leader is already facing a court hearing for allegedly encouraging terrorism by declaring support for Hamas and Hezbollah, both proscribed organisations.
The country will be watching very closely to see what happens in both of these cases. Their outcomes will be measured against the punishment imposed on Mrs Connolly. The increasingly preposterous Lord Hermer assures us that there is no two-tier justice. We shall see.
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