Glastonbury Cancels Screening Of ‘Oh, Jeremy Corbyn, The Big Lie’ Doc After Jewish Groups Accuse Film Of Pushing Antisemitic Conspiracy Theory
20.06.2023 - 09:47
/ deadline.com
Glastonbury Festival has removed documentary Oh, Jeremy Corbyn, The Big Lie from its film program after Jewish groups accused it of putting forward an antisemitic conspiracy theory around why the politician never rose to the position of UK prime minister.
The move, which has prompted a counter backlash from supporters of Corbyn, comes just six years after the politician was given a rock star’s welcome at the festival when he addressed a 50,000-strong crowd there in 2017.
The documentary, produced by activist London-based production house Platform Films, was due to screen in Glastonbury’s Pilton Palais cinema tent as part of a line-up also featuring The Super Mario Bros. Movie and Spider-Man: Across The Spider Verse as well as classic such as Withnail And I.
The film challenges allegations of antisemitism within the Labour Party under Corbyn’s leadership, which would eventually lead to him being suspended as a member in 2020 after he refused to retract his statement that the scale of the issue had been overstated by opponents.
In a description on its website, Platform Films says the work “explores a dark and murky story of political deceit and outrageous antisemitic smears.”
Narrated by stand-up comedian and actor Alexei Sayle, interviewees include political activist Jackie Walker, who was expelled from the Labour Party in 2019 for antisemitic remarks; filmmaker Ken Loach and Israeli anti-Zionist activist Moshe Machover.
Jewish groups have expressed alarm about the film and the conspiracy theory at its heart and began lobbying Glastonbury to cancel its planned screening when it came to light that it would screen at the festival.
“Jeremy Corbyn’s diehard supporters are determined to peddle the false myth that the only