THE BBC Kneecap Glastonbury set should not be broadcast, according to UK Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy.
Speaking on Politics Live, Nandy agreed with Keir Starmer, who said it was not "appropriate" for the band to play the festival after one of their members was charged with a terror offence.
Liam Og O hAnnaidh was charged for allegedly displaying a flag in support of proscribed terrorist organisation Hezbollah at a gig in London in November last year.
Last week, the 27-year-old, who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, was cheered by hundreds of supporters as he arrived with bandmates Naoise O Caireallain and JJ O Dochartaigh at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in “Free Mo Chara” T-shirts.
He was released on unconditional bail until his next hearing at the same court on August 20.
Nandy said: “This is a band who have thrived on the oxygen of publicity, and as well as the terrorist offences, there have been very serious comments they’ve made encouraging attacks on elected members of parliament, not from my own party, but it is my job to stand up against that.”
When questioned whether the BBC should cover the band’s set, she said: “It’s horrific – personally I do not want to see that on TV screens.”
She then stressed that it’s “not my job to tell broadcasters what they can or can’t show on TV” and "it is an independent matter for the BBC".
The BBC, which usually shows wall-to-wall coverage of Glastonbury, has said: "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.”
The BBC may monitor Kneecap’s performance before uploading the set to iPlayer.
