Banksy's Glastonbury boat stunt was tasteless and lazy

Rather than Coldplay’s “spectacle of a lifetime”, or the return of Avril Lavigne, or the return (again) of the Sugababes, the Glastonbury moment that caught the nation’s attention was a tasteless stunt by Banksy.

- ZOE GARDNER

The artist was behind the release of a mocked-up migrant boat, complete with dummies of asylum seekers wearing life jackets, which crowd-surfed over the revellers watching Bristol-based band Idles.

But it didn’t quite get the reception the notoriously edgy artist might have hoped for: instead, there was a fierce backlash from people (including the current home secretary, James Cleverly) who felt that the image dehumanised and even mocked migrants and the desperate, dangerous journeys many make in search of a better life.

I agree that the visual impact of the stunt missed the mark. For while it may have been meant as a positive signal of solidarity, the visceral image of fake people being bopped around like balloons made me feel overwhelmingly uncomfortable.

I’m interested in what is not being said. The debate should centre on the rights of refugees in this country, who are all too often reduced to a prop – not least in this upcoming election. Instead, we’re talking about Glastonbury, with Banksy’s stunt as a spectacle.