Jeremy Corbyn delivers rousing speech at Glastonbury

The Labour party leader gave a ten minute speech before Run The Jewels hit the Pyramid stage

Jeremy Corbyn took to the stage today (24 June) at Glastonbury to deliver a speech introducing Run The Jewels’ set. According to The Independent, the MP drew the largest crowd of Glastonbury so far.

He began his ten minute slot by thanking festival founder Michael Eavis for bringing people together to “enjoy music, enjoy good company and enjoy inspiring thought.” He said, “Michael, you paved the way for space for all of us…You brought the spirit of music, the spirit of love, the spirit of ideas and you brought the spirit of great messages.”

The politician also made a jab at Donald Trump by pointing out a message on a nearby wall. “Do u know what it says? Build bridges, not walls.”

Following on from a campaign trail that saw a large youth turnout for the polls, the Labour leader highlighted this change. “The elites got it wrong. The politics is about the lives of all of us and the wonderful campaign that I was involved with… brought a lot of people back into politics because they believed there was something on offer for them. But what was even more inspiring was the number of young people who got involved for the very first time because they were fed up of being denigrated.”

Corbyn went on to highlight several of the party’s policies, that European nationals should have the right to stay and contribute to the UK, and that he wants every child to have a chance to find their artistic calling. “In every child is a poem. In every child, there is music. Old people get a bit embarrassed about that… I want all our children to be inspired.” He also called out the divisive nature of racism, sexism and homophobia, and touched upon poverty in relation to the Grenfell Tower fire.

Towards the end of his speech, he quoted Percy Shelley’s The Masque of Anarchy, written in 1819: “Rise, like lions after slumber/ In unvanquishable number!/ Shake your chains to earth like dew/ Which in sleep had fallen on you:/ Ye are many – they are few!” He speech closed with the crowd chanting his name.

Watch the speech and view the reactions on Twitter below.


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