Noel Gallagher has been blasted as “vile” by disability charity Scope after he admitted he “blagged” his way on to a viewing platform at Glastonbury along with Rita Ora, which is reserved for disabled people.
Noel, 55, says a security guard initially attempted to stop him from using the platform at the John Peel tent to watch Jamie T on Saturday evening, but as the Oasis rocker had just come from his performance on the Pyramid Stage, Noel showed him his Access All Areas pass.
He said: “I said: ‘See that pass mate? It gets me any f***ing where.”
He then joked he “would have” tipped someone out of a wheelchair and encouraged his son to sit in it to get them in the prime spot, and added he would pretend to touch people on the forehead telling them to “rise… you can walk”.
While speaking on Matt Morgan's podcast, Noel said the group “couldn’t get to the bit on stage because we were f***ing wasted”, so he “flashed my pass and said this lot are with me and we walked on to this platform - unbeknownst to us it was the disabled platform”.
He then added: “I gotta say, those disabled cats have a great view of everything.”
Warren Kirwan, Media Manager at disability equality charity Scope, said: “The casual abuse and belittling of disabled people in this interview is vile.
“There is no excuse for this kind of language.
“On top of that, accessible platforms aren’t for privileged rock stars and their friends. These platforms exist so that disabled people can enjoy live music - without them many of our festivals would simply be off limits.”
Glastonbury festival has access facilities for attendees with “permanent/ long term access requirements”. Customers who require access to the platforms are required to obtain a Viewing Platform pass, after filling in an Access Application Form prior to attending the festival.
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