What happened at Wireless 2022? Shooting rumours at London Finsbury Park and Birmingham festival - Nicki Minaj

Police were called to help manage massive crowds at Wireless Festival before Nicki Minaj’s performance over the weekend.

At around 3pm on Sunday (10 July), dozens of officers were deployed near London’s Finsbury Park as people attempted to make their way past queues in the blazing heat.

Footage shared on social media appeared to show individuals jumping over gates to gain access to the music festival.

Here is everything you need to know about it.

What happened?

As temperatures approached 30 degrees Celsius, massive crowds gathered outside the festival in an attempt to catch headline performances by Nicki Minaj and Lil Baby.

One person said on Twitter: “I’m genuinely starting to get worried for Nicki and people’s safety … more people keep piling up and it’s very hot out there.”

Wireless Festival issued a social media warning about fraudulent tickets and scammers as it announced the event had sold out.

A Metropolitan Police statement read: “A small number of people tried to get through an entrance to Wireless Festival while others were queueing.

“As a result of this, security staff put in place a brief hold on people being admitted to the event to ensure the safe flow of people into the site. This caused a large crowd to form in the area around the site.

“Officers assisted security staff with managing the crowd to keep people safe.

“We continue to work closely with the event organiser and other partners to prevent further disruption and we thank people attending for their patience, particularly in the hot weather.”

However, police response to the incident has been met with criticism online, with many social media users saying the incident was mismanaged.

One person said on Twitter: “Having only the smallest opening at the singular entrance to Finsbury Park, with no regulated flow of pedestrian traffic. People being trampled and forced to climb tall gates.”

Haringey Council said two nearby roads were closed to “enable crowd safety management”.

Why was Nicki Minaj’s performance controversial?

Adding to fans’ woes, Minaj went on to enrage fans by beginning her Wireless Festival performance 30 minutes late and refusing to apologise.

The ‘Super Bass’ singer only performed 40 minutes of her planned 80-minute show, which was beset by technical difficulties and several lengthy pauses.

Minaj’s microphone and monitor were also out of sync, resulting in an annoying delay throughout the performance.

The actrestar, who appeared unhappy and low in energy at times, took minutes to change into her final outfit, prompting the crowd to chant for her return as the clock approached the 9.30pm curfew.

Was there a shooting?

Adding more stress to organisers’ workload, at the Birmingham leg of the event, rumours of a ‘mass shooting’ began to spread on social media.

Some festival goers reported hearing gunshots, and footage claiming to show a gunman at the festival began circulating on social media.

However, all of these claims were false, and the ‘shooting’ was nothing but a rumour.

A ‘complete disaster’

It comes after disabled festival goers dubbed Wireless’ Crystal Palace event a “complete disaster” after beingforced to cross “dangerous” and “difficult” terrain last weekend.

Fans who attended the festival had difficulty entering the grounds due to limited accessibility.

They also claimed that they were unable to see the performers once reaching the disabled viewing platforms due to the distance from the stage.

Ticket holders are now taking to social media and demanding that they be refunded the £230 ticket price.

NationalWorld contacted Wireless Festival for comment but at the time of publishing has not received a response.

Katouche Goll, 25, who has cerebral palsy, told NationalWorld: “It was a complete disaster from the outset.

“Nothing could prepare us for what we would come across.”

She described how in order to reach the disabled viewing platforms, she had to tackle pot holes and gravel in her wheelchair, and even climb a steep hill.

“It was a health hazard. We all would have gone flying back down the hill if our friends hadn’t been there to help us,” she added.

Goll said at one point her sister was forced to carry her on her back once inside the festival grounds, as there was no step free access to the food vendors.