'Helen from Wales' praised after livestreaming Glastonbury set banned by BBC

A woman was branded a 'legend' after what she did at a Glastonbury set which was banned from being livestreamed.

Her name is Helen Wilson, and the Welsh festival goer did music fans a service when she decided to film the set of Kneecap on Saturday (28 June).

The Belfast rappers took to the West Holts Stage at Glastonbury, but following the BBC's decision not to stream the group's performance, fans who weren't at the festival were left clueless.

Why Kneecap were banned by BBC

Kneecap member, Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, known as Mo Chara, was charged by the Metropolitan Police for his actions on 21 November 2024.

It was alleged that the artist displayed a flag in support of organisation Hezbollah, Shia Muslim political and military group, at a London gig at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town.

The rapper was also allegedly heard chanting 'Up Hamas, up Hezbollah' during the gig.

In response, the band said on social media: "We deny this 'offence' and will vehemently defend ourselves," labelling it as a 'political policing' and 'a carnival of distraction'.

"14,000 babies are about to die of starvation in Gaza, with food sent by the world sitting on the other side of a wall, and once again the British establishment is focused on us," they concluded.

Mo Chara was released on unconditional bail after appearing in a London court for the terror charge, though he was told he must appear in court again on 20 August.

Amidst the controversy, the BBC decided not to broadcast their performance as part of their Glastonbury coverage.

Kneecap were also recently told that they wouldn't be prosecuted over their 'kill your MP' remarks at a 2023 show, in response to Keir Starmer's comments that they shouldn't perform.

In the aftermath of the performance, the BBC posted an edited version of their performance on iPlayer, in addition to over 90 others.

Avon and Somerset Police have started investigating footage of their performance after the band chanted for people to 'start a riot outside the courts', before going back and saying: "No riots just love and support, and support for Palestine."

What did 'Helen from Wales' do?

On Saturday itself, many were saved by Helen, who was at the show itself, and decided to broadcast the performance on TikTok to millions.

She held her phone up for over an hour for social media users to get a glimpse at the blacklisted performance.

Speaking to followers, she admitted that she'd even burnt her hand by holding the overheating phone up for so long.

With over 1.8 million people liking the stream on TikTok, the content creator admitted: “So I basically just got a couple of pints, got my big Palestine flag and then I thought ‘Ah, I’m gonna go live’."

She added: “I then thought ‘I can’t stop filming now’ and then people were saying ‘Oh, we need to see more, we need to see more’.

“I’m pretty battered, to be honest, but it was a f**king amazing set."

Helen was working a bar at the music festival and wasn't even meant to be at the set, but she was given an hour off to watch the hip-hop group.

During Kneecap's performance, chants of 'f*** Keir Starmer' and 'Free Palestine' rung around the crowd, in response to being censored by the BBC.

Helen thanked fans for their support, but admitted: "It’s ridiculous ‘cause all I did is hold a phone up — but it was a bit of a mission."

She added that she abandoned her two pints of cider to hold up her phone and a power bank, as she was running low on charge.

"I did it because I knew it wasn’t going to be on the BBC so I just thought, I’m just gonna do this," she added.

Users on social media quickly dubbed her as a 'free speech legend', as one wrote: “Helen Wilson will never have to buy a drink in the Falls Road again.”

“Helen!!! You absolute legend and getting rightly recognised across Twitter for doing God's work,” another put.

Kneecap themselves commented on a video snippet of their performance, saying: “Helen you’re a legend! Tickets to any show just giz a shout! Grma.”

Understandably over the moon, she thanked the band for what they do and what they stand for.

Despite all the good press though, Helen recently made a video about the negative attention she's been getting from trolls online.

She gets emotional in the TikTok video, speaking about how she doesn't want attention for what she does, but rather what she and Kneecap both stand for.

Admitting that she felt 'a little vulnerable', she said that she's strong and added that 'she's always been one to stand up for my beliefs', with a tear in her eye.

Speaking to The Irish Sun, she added: “Being part of that set really did feel very significant. It was amazing to be there, to share with people the strength of feeling.”