On Friday the US Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe vs Wade case which previously granted women in America the right to terminate a pregnancy. This will mean that over half of the US states will now be able to ban abortion and immediately compromise the lives of millions of Americans in a hugely shocking move by the court. It is a huge cause for concern and seen by many as an archaic step backwards for a country that often sees itself as the leader of the free world, with many politicians, artists, campaigners, and citizens the world over beginning to protest the ruling.
Glastonbury, never shy to give free speech a microphone, has already seen many of it’s artists use their opportunity onstage to voice their anger and frustration. With Olivia Rodrigo, Lily Allen, Phoebe Bridgers and IDLES already stepping up to the plate, it’s likely that the remainder of the iconic weekend will be smattered with impassioned speeches of protest. Notably Olivia Rodrigo brought Lily Allen on stage for a fervent duet of the British singer songwriter’s 2009 song “Fuck You” addressed specifically to the 5 justices of the Supreme Court. Having invited Allen onstage, Rodrigo addressed the situation by saying “I’m devastated I’m terrified and so many women and so many girls are going to die because of this. I wanted to dedicate this song to the five members of the supreme court, who showed us that at the end of the day they truly don’t give a shit about freedom” as reported by the NME. She then introduced the hit song with “This song goes out to the justices, Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Amy Coney Barret, and Brett Kavanaugh. We hate you.” You can watch the moment here:
olivia rodrigo: “so many women and so many girls are gonna die because of this” no sugarcoating at all! as it SHOULD BE! and then proceeding to call out the 5 members of the Supreme Court!! pic.twitter.com/rv3R6p39Cu
— caro (@jelousyliv) June 25, 2022
Watching their feverishly brilliant set back on iPlayer, the acclaimed Bristolion band IDLES also made a stand, with frontman Joe Talbot speaking out against the overturning of Roe vs Wade during their performance yesterday on the Park Stage. Dedicating the song “Mother” from their debut album Brutalism to the open minded, Talbot said “Of course, this is for every mother and every woman and her right to choose whether she is a mother or not. Long live the open-minded, long live my mother, and long live every single one of you.”
You can catch all of the performances from Glastonbury 2022 on BBC iPlayer here.
