Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer has said he does not think it is “appropriate” for the Irish hip-hop trio Kneecap to perform at Glastonbury.
Bandmate Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, 27, of Belfast was charged under the name Liam O’Hanna after allegedly displaying a flag in support of proscribed terrorist organisation Hezbollah at a London show last year.
The band – who have publicly spoken out against Israel’s military campaign in Gaza – recently called the terrorism charge a “distraction”. In a previous statement, Kneecap said: “Let us be unequivocal: we do not, and have never, supported Hamas or Hezbollah.”
Asked by The Sun if he thought Kneecap should perform at Glastonbury, Sir Keir said: “No I don’t, and I think we need to come down really clearly on this.
“This is about the threats that shouldn’t be made. I won’t say too much because there’s a court case on, but I don’t think that’s appropriate.”
The band are due to perform at the music festival next Saturday (28 June). The Independent has contacted a representative of Glastonbury for comment.
Responding to the prime minister’s comments on Saturday evening (21 June), Kneecap wrote on social media: “You know what's ‘not appropriate’ Keir?! Arming a f***ing genocide. F*** The Sun and solidarity with Palestine Action.”
Earlier this week, home secretary Yvette Cooper said she is preparing to proscribe the direct action group, making it a criminal offence to belong to or support Palestine Action after the group’s vandalism of two planes at an RAF base.
Israel has strongly denied allegations of genocide.
On Saturday (21 June), Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch, who previously called for the group to be banned from the festival, said that the BBC should not broadcast Kneecap’s Glastonbury performance.
In a post on X (Twitter), accompanied by an article from The Times that claimed the BBC had not banned the group, Ms Badenoch said: “The BBC should not be showing Kneecap propaganda. One Kneecap band member is currently on bail, charged under the Terrorism Act.
“As a publicly funded platform, the BBC should not be rewarding extremism.”
A BBC spokesperson told The Guardian: “As the broadcast partner, the BBC will be bringing audiences extensive music coverage from Glastonbury, with artists booked by the festival organisers.
“Whilst the BBC doesn’t ban artists, our plans will ensure that our programming will meet our editorial guidelines. Decisions about our output will be made in the lead-up to the festival.”
Last year the band won a discrimination case against the UK government after Ms Badendoch tried to block a £14,250 funding award when she was a minister in the previous government.
On Wednesday (18 June), Ó hAnnaidh, who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, was cheered by hundreds of supporters as he arrived with bandmates Naoise O Cairealláin and JJ Ó Dochartaigh at Westminster magistrates court in “Free Mo Chara” T-shirts.
He has been released on unconditional bail until his next hearing on 20 August. Following the hearing, the rapper said: “For anybody going to Glastonbury, you can see us there at 4pm on the Saturday.
“If you can’t be there we’ll be on the BBC, if anybody watches the BBC. We’ll be at Wembley in September. But most importantly: free, free Palestine.”
Kneecap have been active since 2017. The band – which is composed of Ó hAnnaidh, Naoise Ó Cairealláin and J J Ó Dochartaigh – rap mostly in Irish. They released their first single “CEARTA” (Irish for “rights”) in 2017, followed by their debut album the following year.
