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Glastonbury cancels screening of Jeremy Corbyn documentary amid conspiracy theory criticism
By Chris Cooke | Published on Wednesday 21 June 2023
Organisers of Glastonbury have confirmed that a controversial film called ‘Oh, Jeremy Corbyn: The Big Lie’ will not be screened at the festival this weekend.
The documentary is about the rise and fall of Jeremy Corbyn as leader of the UK Labour Party, with the title alluding to the pro-Corbyn chanting that was a feature of the 2017 Glastonbury Festival, where the politician gave a notable speech.
The official blurb for the film – which is made by self-declared “radical film-maker” Platform Films – notes that, after all the hype surrounding the Labour leader in 2017, “within three years all, it seemed, was lost. What happened and why?”
The documentary, it then says, “explores a 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”.
However, the film has been accused of promoting a dangerous conspiracy theory. After it was confirmed that the documentary would be screened in Glastonbury’s cinema tent, the Pilton Palais, Marie Van Der Zyl – President of the Board Of Deputies Of British Jews – wrote to Michael and Emily Eavis to express “deep concern”.
In her letter, she stated: “This film, we understand, 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”.
The documentary, she went on, “includes a cast of characters who were suspended or expelled from Labour for their actions around the party’s issues with antisemitism, a topic set out starkly in a report by the Equality And Human Rights Commission”.
The letter then concluded: “Your festival is one of the most successful festivals in the UK. It seems profoundly sinister for it to be providing a platform to a film which clearly seeks to indoctrinate people into believing a conspiracy theory effectively aimed at Jewish organisations”.
Confirming the film will no longer be show in the Pilton Palais this weekend, a statement from the festival reads: “Although we believe that the Pilton Palais booked this 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”.
The Board Of Deputies welcomed that decision, saying on Twitter: “We are pleased that in the wake of a letter we sent earlier today, Glastonbury have announced the cancellation of the screening of this film. Hateful conspiracy theories should have no place in our society”.
