A petition has been launched appealing to Glastonbury Festival to change the name of the John Peel stage amid historical sexual abuse accusations. The petition has been addressed to festival organiser Emily Eavis to rename the pink and blue tent and claims it is a "slap in the face to sexual abuse survivors".
The late disc jockey did not deny being involved with underage girls over the years and his first marriage was to 15-year-old Shirley Anne Milburn in Texas - where it was legal at that age - in 1965 when he was 25. He maintained she lied about her age at the time. An interview originally published in The Herald in April 2004 stated that Peel admitted to sexual contact with "an awful lot" of underage girls.
Glastonbury Festival renamed the stage from New Bands Tent - which has historically promoted new and up-and-coming artists - to John Peel in 2004 "in honour of the late and great DJ and Festival friend", its website states. The DJ, who died suddenly in October of the same year, often gave a platform to new bands and genres outside the typical remit of BBC Radio 1 at the time. The festival has been approached by Bristol Live for comment.
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The festival website continues: "This aptly named stage continues its passion for new music and, like its revered namesake, has made an indelible mark on new music culture, being the early champion of so many artists. Every genre welcome, every genre celebrated; acts on the cusp of breaking through rubbing shoulders alongside the long-established."
The petition set up by Jack Owens on Change.org reads: "The John Peel stage at Glastonbury is long overdue being renamed, considering the serious sexual abuse he has been accused of and even admitted, against women and children.
"It's a slap in the face to sexual abuse survivors, women, children and decent people to have to stand [on] a stage with his name on it, which has the sick words "teenage dreams so hard to beat" written on the side. Please rename it for the next year's festival. He's been put up on [a] pedestal for too long."
It then goes on to list quotes from interviews Peel gave over the years alluding to his relationships with underage girls. To The Guardian in 1975, Peel said of young women: "All they wanted me to do was abuse them, sexually, which, of course, I was only too happy to do".
In an interview with The Sunday Correspondent in 1989, Peel stated: "Girls used to queue up outside. By and large not usually for shagging. Oral sex they were particularly keen on, I remember. [...] One of my, er, regular customers, as it were, turned out to be 13, though she looked older."
In 2012, eight years after Peel's death, a woman came forward with claims of an affair with the DJ. She said the affair resulted in her falling pregnant and having a 'traumatic' abortion in Ealing, London.
The petition so far has more than 600 signatures having already surpassed its initial target of 500.
Do you think the Glastonbury Festival stage should be renamed to remove mention of John Peel? Let us know what you think in the comments section
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