James Hetfield is on the Hunt. And now the hunt is on for Metallica.
And online petition is calling for the metal band to be removed from this month’s Glastonbury music festival in England after news broke that Hetfield will be narrating a new TV show on the History Channel that chronicles bear hunting in Alaska. Hunt premieres June 8, and Metallica are set to headline Worthy Farm on June 28.
A Facebook page titled Remove Metallica from Glastonbury Festival for their support of Bear Hunting has generated 3,000 fans since launching on May 25. It declares that because Hetfield describes himself as a “keen huntsman” and has shown an affinity for hunting bears, he is not fit to perform at the UK festival.
“This page is an appeal to Glastonbury to remove Metallica from their lineup,” the page reads. “We believe James Hetfield’s support of big-game hunting is incompatible with the spirit of Glastonbury and brings its good name into disrepute.”
Of course, the History Channel has an opposing view on the whole matter. In a show description, it states: “Brown bear co-existence with humans on the [Kodiak] island is a delicate balance, yet is regarded as one of the most successful conservation efforts in the world. Most hunters go after adult males, or boars, who when food is scarce are known to kill and eat cubs, as well as cause trouble near populated areas.”
The page admin claims to have posted his campaign to the Glastonbury Facebook page, but all his posts have been taken down. The festival has not commented on the protest.
Yesterday, the admin elaborated on his issues.
“I doubt very much that James Hetfield is the first high-profile big-game hunter to grace the stages — I’m sure there have been many,” the person wrote. “I do however doubt that any of them have had a prime time History show promoting his view that hunting is a good thing to do, on at the same time. This double-exposure gives his views extra publicity and acceptability, and this is where we can have an effect… This is about raising awareness and making both Metallica and Glastonbury aware of what appears to be a large number of people’s disapproval.”
