The BBC has made a statement on its decision to broadcast an edited version of Kneecap’s Glastonbury performance on iPlayer, after choosing not to air the set live.
Kneecap, who hail from Belfast, performed on the West Holts Stage on Saturday (29 June), in one of the most talked-about shows of the weekend.
The group have made headlines in recent weeks after bandmember Liam Og O hAnnaidh, who performs under the name Mo Chara, was charged with a terror offence for allegedly displaying a flag in support of proscribed terrorist organisation Hezbollah, while saying “up Hamas, up Hezbollah” at a gig in November last year.
Kneecap have said they “do not, and have never, supported Hamas or Hezbollah”.
In the run-up to Glastonbury, which takes place at Worthy Farm in Somerset, several politicians called for Kneecap to be removed from the line-up, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer saying it would be “inappropriate” for the band to play.
During Saturday’s show, member Naoise O Caireallain aka Moglai Bap told the crowd: “The prime minister of your country, not mine, said he didn’t want us to play, so f*** Keir Starmer.”
The group then led the crowd in chants of “f*** Keir Starmer” and “Free Palestine” – both the chants appear on the iPlayer version.
In the audience, there was a sea of Irish and Palestinian flags.
Speaking about the decision to put Kneecap’s performance on iPlayer, a BBC spokesperson said: “We have made an on-demand version of Kneecap’s performance available on iPlayer, as part of our online collection of more than 90 other sets.
“We have edited it to ensure the content falls within the limits of artistic expression in line with our editorial guidelines and reflects the performance from Glastonbury’s West Holts stage. As with all content which includes strong language, this is signposted with appropriate warnings.
“As we have said before, acts are booked by the festival, and the BBC doesn’t ban artists. We didn't stream Kneecap live.”
Despite it airing live, the BBC is not putting a controversial set by rap punk duo Bob Vylan on iPlayer, after rapper Bobby Vylan led crowds on the festival’s West Holts Stage in chants of “Free, free Palestine” and “Death, death to the IDF [Israel Defence Forces]”.
“Some of the comments made during Bob Vylan's set were deeply offensive,” the BBC’s spokesperson said.
“During this live stream on iPlayer, which reflected what was happening on stage, a warning was issued on screen about the very strong and discriminatory language. We have no plans to make the performance available on demand.”
Police are currently assessing the footage of comments made by both Kneecap and Bob Vylan at Glastonbury to decide whether any offences may have been committed. Glastonbury organisers said they were “appalled” by the remarks made by Bob Vylan, which Emily Eavis said “crossed a line”.
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