Brian May has insisted Queen won’t perform at Glastonbury next year due to badger politics.
The 78-year-old musician has previously been adamant that his group wouldn’t play at the iconic Somerset festival because of his dispute with founder Michael Eavis over badger culling in the countryside, and Brian has reiterated that his Bohemian Rhapsody band won’t make an exception at next year’s spectacle.
Animal activist Brian told the Daily Mail: “I wouldn’t do Glastonbury next year because of the politics of the people who run it, unless that changes, I won’t do it.
“They like killing badgers, and they think it’s for sport and that’s something I cannot support because we’ve been trying to save these badgers for years, and they are still being killed for years, so that’s the reason we’re missing out on it.”
Quizzed on whether Queen have repeatedly turned down Glastonbury appearances, Brian insisted they haven’t been asked because of his views.
He said: “I don’t think the conversation of us doing has ever taken place because they know how I feel.”
Dairy farmer Eavis, 90, previously branded May a “danger to farming” over his views on badger culling, which is done to prevent the spread of bovine TB.
Cows infected with the debilitating disease are culled, and the entire herd can be at risk.
While Brian has now reiterated his political stance on the festival, he previously admitted it is “not impossible” that Queen could play at Glastonbury.
Speaking in 2023, he told The Guardian newspaper: “You can never say never, but it’s a very big matter of principle to me.
“I am convinced, more than ever, that the badger cull is the greatest crime this country has ever committed against wildlife. It’s completely pointless and the tragedy is immense: you’re talking about nearly half a million native animals killed and it’s not benefited farmers one bit.
“The fact that Michael Eavis supports badger-culling is difficult for me to swallow.
“I don’t really want to endorse his festival, but it’s not impossible that we could sit down and talk. I’ll talk to anyone – that’s the way we go forward.”