The Prime Minister has called for Kneecap to be dropped from Glastonbury next week after one of the band members was charged with a terror offence.
Following similar calls from Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, Sir Keir Starmer said today it was ‘not appropriate’ for the Irish rappers to perform at the festival.
Liam Og O hAnnaidh, who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, is accused of displaying a flag in support of Hezbollah, while saying ‘up Hamas, up Hezbollah’ at a gig in November last year.
The 27-year-old appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday morning following the alleged incident at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town, north London.
In an interview with The Sun, Sir Keir was asked if he thought the trio should perform at Glastonbury, to which he replied: ‘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.’
It comes after Conservative Party leader Ms Badenoch said she thought the BBC ‘should not be showing’ Kneecap’s performance at the festival next week.
Ms Badenoch said in the X post, which was accompanied by an article from The Times that claimed the BBC had not banned the group: ‘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.’
Ms Badenoch has previously called for the group to be banned from Glastonbury, and last year Kneecap won a discrimination case against the UK Government after she tried to refuse them a £14,250 funding award.
Kneecap took aim at Ms Badenoch in their latest single, The Recap, which was released just before their headline set at London’s Wide Awake festival in May.
The song mocked the politician’s attempts to block their arts funding and the Conservative Party’s election loss.
On Wednesday, O hAnnaidh was cheered by hundreds of supporters as he arrived at Westminster Magistrates’ Court.
He was supported by bandmates Naoise O Caireallain and JJ O Dochartaigh who were wearing ‘Free Mo Chara’ T-shirts.
Og O hAnnaidh wore sunglasses, a black t-shirt, trousers and black jacket and held a Keffiyeh – a type of shawl often worn by supporters of the pro-Palestine movement.
The group then walked up the stairs of the court and looked over the balcony, smiling and giving a thumbs up to their supporters gathered outside.
Members of the crowd had surged around the entrance, with some also entering the lobby.
During the proceedings, the court heard the 27-year-old is ‘well within his rights’ to voice his opinions on Israel and Palestine, but the alleged incident at the O2 Forum is a ‘wholly different thing’.
O hAnnaidh was released on unconditional bail until his next hearing at the same court on August 20. He requested an Irish language interpreter for the trial.
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.’
Speaking outside the court, a spokesperson for the band said: ‘Over 18 countries, 100,000 fans, 80 concerts, not a single complaint.
‘Around the world Kneecap are hailed as heroes for speaking truth to power.
‘The truth was outed. This was a rushed prosecution following the Coachella performance where Kneecap did not shy away from speaking truth to power.
‘Oppression fears the freedom of expression but the reality is Kneecap would stand up to the freedom of expression and they will defend their rights. Not only the rights of them but the rights of artists and people all around the world.
‘And it’s not new for Irish people to be prosecuted under special powers and terrorism acts. But friends, fans, family do not be afraid we are on the right side of history
‘The more they come after Kneecap the louder we will get. If the British Government had any sense of history they will know they have already lost.’
The charge follows a counter terrorism police investigation into the historical gig footage, which also allegedly shows the group calling for the deaths of MPs.
In April, Kneecap apologised last month to the families of murdered politicians but said footage of the incident had been ‘exploited and weaponised’.
In an initial post in response to the charge, Kneecap said: ‘14,000 babies are about to die of starvation in Gaza, with food sent by the world sitting on the other side of a wall, and once again the British establishment is focused on us.
‘We deny this ‘offence’ and will vehemently defend ourselves, this is political policing, this is a carnival of distraction.
‘We are not the story, genocide is, as they profit from genocide, they use an ‘anti-terror law’ against us for displaying a flag thrown on stage.
‘A charge not serious enough to even warrant their crown court, instead a court that doesn’t have a jury. What’s the objective?
‘To restrict our ability to travel. To prevent us speaking to young people across the world. To silence voices of compassion. To prosecute artists who dare speak out.
‘Instead of defending innocent people, or the principles of international law they claim to uphold, the powerful in Britain have abetted slaughter and famine in Gaza, just as they did in Ireland for centuries. Then, like now, they claim justification.
‘The IDF units they arm and fly spy plane missions for are the real terrorists, the whole world can see it.’
Formed in 2017, the group are known for their provocative lyrics in both Irish and English, and merchandise.
Their best-known tracks include Get Your Brits Out, Better Way To Live, featuring Grian Chatten from Fontaines DC, and 3Cag.
A BBC spokesperson 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.’
