Cleverly accuses Banksy of ‘trivialising’ Channel crisis with Glastonbury stunt

James Cleverly has condemned Banksy’s migrant boat stunt at Glastonbury, claiming that it trivialised the crisis in the Channel.

A black dinghy, meant to look like one of the small boats used to make the perilous crossing from France, was launched into the enormous crowd that had come to hear British rock group Idles on Friday.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, the Home Secretary wrote: “Small boat crossings are deadly and have cost the lives of too many people. Festival-goers cosplaying as migrants, and celebrating the actions of people smugglers, while they party is awful.

“Whatever your political views, this isn’t something we should trivialise.”

Oliver Dowden, the Deputy Prime Minister, also criticised the stunt, telling Times Radio: “I was really saddened by it, actually.

“If you look at what happens with men, women, children being shoved onto those dinghies – the criminal gangs only fill them half with petrol, so they run out halfway across the English Channel and start to sink, endangering people’s lives. I don’t think this is the sort of thing to joke around with at Glastonbury.”

Members of the audience could be seen sitting on each other’s shoulders to get a better look at the boat, which was passed around the middle of the crowd.

There were at least seven dummies, meant to represent migrants, all in orange high-visibility life jackets, who sat atop it with their hoods up or their heads down. One small figure in a grey sweatshirt at the end appeared to represent a child.

It was launched during the song Danny Nedelko, which opens with the lyrics: “My blood brother is an immigrant, a beautiful immigrant.”

Idles, who are from Bristol – the city that is also home to Banksy – said they were unaware that the stunt would happen, although many fans assumed it to be part of their act.

The band led the crowd with chants of “f--- the King”, and vocalist Joe Talbot sang an “anti-Farage song”.

Banksy has long been vocal on migration issues, and in 2019 donating money made from his art to Pia Klemp, a German activist who captains NGO rescue ships.

He previously designed a small sculpture in a baking tray depicting migrants crammed into a small boat, again with their hoods up and heads down. The piece, called Dream Boat, was displayed at a pop-up shortly before Christmas in 2018. It was raffled off to raise funds for a charity.