Banksy posts clip of Idles cork stunt at Glastonbury Festival

Banksy appears to confirm he was behind a stunt during a band’s headline set at Glastonbury Festival – involving an inflatable raft holding migrant mannequins in life jackets.

The boat was hoisted over the heads of thousands of spectators during Idles’ show on the Other Stage, with revelers believing the crowdsurfing was part of the Friday night show.

The mystery artist posted a clip of the stunt – believed to symbolize the small boat crossings of migrants across the Channel – on his Instagram account, his usual way of announcing a new creation.

But a spokesman for the British punk band told The Guardian they were not made aware of the stunt until after the gig was over.

As the float made its way over the many thousands on the Alt stage, the band played the Danny Nedelko song, which contains lyrics strongly condemning right-wing immigration policies and calling for unity and compassion.

At a festival Q&A event on Saturday, actor Simon Pegg called Idles’ set “one of the greatest performances I’ve ever seen at Glastonbury”.

The management of Banksy and Idles have been contacted by the BBC for comment.

And Friday night wasn’t the first time the British street and ‘guerrilla’ artist had made an impact on Worthy Farm. In 2019, Banksy designed the Union Flag stabbing vest worn by rapper Stormzy during his Pyramid Stage performance.

Migration is a key theme at this year’s Glastonbury Festival, with a new area in Williams Green the focal point. To enter the ‘repurposed airport’ Terminal 1 ‘celebrating migration’, people must correctly answer a question in the UK government’s citizenship test.

Terminal 1’s line-up includes global artists including Bristol St Paul’s Carnival, London’s Notting Hill Carnival, Love Watts and Yoshi Sodeoka.