Glastonbury: Jeremy Corbyn 'inspired' by young voters
- Published
Jeremy Corbyn said he had been inspired by how many young people had got involved in politics as he addressed the crowd at the Glastonbury festival.
"Do you know, politics is actually about everyday life?" he asked the Pyramid Stage audience who had, moments earlier, been dancing to Craig David.
The Labour leader called for "a world of human rights, peace, justice and democracy all over the planet".
The speech was watched by tens of thousands across the festival site.
At the Pyramid Stage, supporters and activists surged to the front of the crowd holding placards, and a chorus of "Oh, Jeremy Corbyn" - sung to the tune of Seven Nation Army by former Glastonbury headliners The White Stripes.
Mr Corbyn was not without his dissenters among the large crowd, with some boos heard during the speech and small pockets of the audience walking away towards the end.
But he received loud cheers for comments on equality ("We need to challenge sexism in our society, and homophobia, and any form of discrimination that goes on") and refugees ("Let's support them in their hour of need and not see them as a threat and danger").
Mr Corbyn also commented on the recent election, which saw Prime Minister Theresa May's majority cut in the House of Commons, following a vote in which the turnout among young people was reported to have increased dramatically.
"The elites got it wrong," he said. "The politics that got out of the box is not going back in that box".
He added that he was "inspired" by the number of young voters who got involved for the first time.
That the Labour leader was given a rock star welcome was, perhaps, unsurprising at the overwhelmingly left-leaning music festival.
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Organiser Michael Eavis, who invited Mr Corbyn to appear, introduced him on stage, saying: "At last we have a leader to put in place all the issues we've been campaigning for for 40 years".
The festival, which is run as a non-profit event, supports causes including Greenpeace, Oxfam and WaterAid.
Artists appearing at the festival have spoken of their support of Mr Corbyn's politics, while Friday night's headliners Radiohead commented during their set: "See you later, Theresa. Just shut the door on your way out."
Rapper Dizzee Rascal told the BBC he was a fan: "He comes across quite genuine. It seems like he's fought for a lot of good causes."
"I don't really want to get into politics," added Mike Kerr of rock group Royal Blood, "but he seems like someone who speaks for, particularly, my generation of people. He seems like someone that represents us."
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