The 19-year-old US pop star Olivia Rodrigo has passionately and angrily castigated the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v Wade, and allow individual US states to ban access to abortions.
Appearing before a crowd of thousands on the Other stage, she said: “I’m devastated and terrified. So many women and so many girls are going to die because of this. I wanted to dedicate this next song to the five members of the Supreme Court who have showed us that at the end of the day, they truly don’t give a shit about freedom. The song is for the justices: Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Amy Coney Barrett, Brett Kavanaugh. We hate you! We hate you.”
The song she referred to was Fuck You, performed with its author, guest star Lily Allen. “This is actually my first Glastonbury and I’m sharing this stage with Lily, this is the biggest dream come true ever,” said Rodrigo. “But I’m also equally as heartbroken about what happened in America yesterday,” Rodrigo said.
Rodrigo joins a chorus of voices at Glastonbury who have condemned the court decision, which has resulted in a number of US states instantly banning abortions.
Yesterday, Phoebe Bridgers led the crowd in a chant against the court, adding: “Fuck America and all these irrelevant old motherfuckers trying to tell us what to do with our fucking bodies.”
Billie Eilish said “today is a really dark day for women in the US”, while Idles frontman Joe Talbot said the decision “reversed the laws back to the middle ages”. Skunk Anansie frontwoman Skin also affirmed her support for the right to access abortion.