The Glastonbury Festival has cancelled a planned screening of a film about former far-left Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn after complaints that it allegedly propagated conspiracy theories.
The documentary film Oh, Jeremy Corbyn… The Big Lie will not be screened at the upcoming Glastonbury Festival following outrage from Jewish faith organisations.
The film, produced by Platform Films, is described as exploring the “dark and murky story of political deceit and outrageous antisemitic smears. It also uncovers the critical role played by current Labour leader, Keir Starmer and asks if the movement which backed Corbyn could rise again.”
The planned screening of the film caused outrage among Jewish groups, including the Board of Deputies of British Jews, who accused the film of promoting conspiracy theories about alleged Jewish involvement in the political downfall of the socialist politician, Sky News reports.
Marie van der Zyl told festival organisers that it would be “profoundly sinister” to screen the film, claiming that the documentary “seeks to suggest that organisations such as the Board of Deputies of British Jews, of which I am the president, somehow helped to ‘orchestrate’ Jeremy Corbyn’s downfall as Labour Party leader”.
In a statement announcing its decision to cancel the screening, Glastonbury Festival said that organisers had originally booked the film in “good faith, in the hope of provoking political debate”.
“It’s become clear that it is not appropriate for us to screen it at the festival. Glastonbury is about unity and not division, and we stand against all forms of discrimination,” they said.
In the wake of a report from the Equality and Human Rights Commission in October of 2020, which accused him of “serious failings” to confront antisemitism within the Labour Party when he served as leader, Jeremy Corbyn was suspended from the party.
The far-leftist refused to apologise and condemned the report as being “dramatically overstated for political reasons”. His successor as leader, Sir Keir Starmer, refused to allow Corbyn to caucus with the Labour Party in the parliament, withholding the whip and thereby forcing him to remain an independent in the House of Commons.
Despite facing accusations of antisemitism, Corbyn has continued to appear at anti-Israel rallies, including one that featured placards reading “Zionist Israel = Nazi Germany”. At the 2021 rally, the far-left MP called on the UK government to “end all military cooperation of any sort with Israel”.
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