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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
National
Halina Watts & James Holt

Noel Gallagher blasted as 'vile' by charity after admitting he 'blagged' way onto disabled platform at Glastonbury festival

Noel Gallagher has been blasted as 'vile' by a charity after he 'blagged' his way onto a viewing platform for disabled people at Glastonbury festival. The Manchester-born musician admitted that a security guard initially stopped him from using the platform before he flashed his 'Access All Areas' pass.

Gallagher, 55, went on to 'belittle' those with disabilities on the podcast and admitted that his pass could get him 'f***ing anywhere'. The musician managed to gain access to the viewing platform at the John peel tent to watch Jamie T on the Saturday night of the popular festival (June 25).

He said: “I said: ‘See that pass mate? It gets me any f***ing where.” The Mirror reported he then went on to joke that 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 that he would pretend to touch people on the forehead telling them to “rise… you can walk”.

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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”.

“I gotta say, those disabled cats have a great view of everything," he added. Charity Scope have since said that Gallagher's 'casual abuse' of disabled people is 'vile'.

Warren Kirwan, Media Manager at the disability equality charity 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.”

Noel had performed to huge crowds at Glastonbury for the fourth time, alongside his band High Flying Birds.. The 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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