Violent Scenes Erupt At U2's Glastonbury Gig

Violent scenes broke out in the crowd at U2's long-awaited Glastonbury debut as a protest against the Irish band's tax status was foiled by security guards.

As Bono and his bandmates took to the Pyramid Stage, activists from direct action group Art Uncut inflated a 20ft balloon emblazoned with the message "U Pay Your Tax 2".

But as the campaigners tried to release it over the 50,000-strong crowd, a team of 10 security guards wrestled them to the ground before deflating the balloon and taking it away.

The intervention by security after U2's opening song Until The End Of The World sparked angry clashes with 30 or more protesters.

Several protesters were pinned against a fence near the Pyramid Stage after attempting to hold on to the balloon. There were no arrests.

One of the campaign group members said: "That was totally over the top. He threatened to hit me."

A handful of U2 fans looked on open-mouthed and booed as the security guards swooped.

Earlier, members of campaign group Art Uncut said they planned to pull a visual stunt to tell singer Bono to "pay up".

Fellow campaigner Charlie Dewar said: "U2's multi-million euro tax avoidance is depriving the Irish people at a time when they desperately need income.

"There is also hypocrisy here with Bono being so well known for his anti-poverty campaigning."

Glastonbury founder Michael Eavis told Sky News that while he encourages political activism at his festival, he believes the planned protest againt U2's tax status is unfair.

Mr Eavis pointed out that the band are generous with their donations to charity.

U2 have yet to respond to reports of the planned demo but they have apologised on their website for letting fans down last year when they pulled out of the festival because of Bono's back injury.

Campaigning is nothing new at Glastonbury . When it started in 1971, part of its mission statement was to be a platform for protests, whether they be pro-environment or anti-arms.

This year, Caroline Lucas MP and Tony Benn MP are among the guests booked to give politically-themed talks.

Glastonbury organisers are committed to keeping the spirit of the festival about positive messages and have asked companies like Orange to keep corporate branding to a minimum on site.

The 177,000 people who have bought tickets will see 2,000 acts over the weekend. Also headlining this year are Coldplay and Beyonce.