Kneecap’s Glastonbury Festival set is now at the center of a political firestorm, with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer publicly opposing the Northern Irish hip-hop trio’s appearance following terrorism charges against member Mo Chara.
In comments published by The Sun, Starmer said he does not believe Kneecap should perform at the iconic festival on June 28. “No, I don’t, and I think we need to come down really clearly on this,” he said. “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.”
Last Wednesday (June 18), Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh — known as Mo Chara — appeared at Westminster Crown Court, accused of displaying a Hezbollah flag and chanting “Up Hamas, Up Hezbollah” during a 2024 London concert.
Kneecap have denied the allegations, calling the charges a “carnival of distraction” in a statement previously posted to social media. “We deny this ‘offense’ and will vehemently defend ourselves,” the group said. They added, “British courts have long charged people from the North of Ireland with ‘terrorism’ for crimes never committed. We will fight them. We will win.”
Kneecap’s growing notoriety has drawn attention beyond the courtroom. At Coachella earlier this year, the trio accused organizers of censoring their pro-Palestine messaging during the livestream. They were recently removed from Scotland’s TRNSMT festival due to “police safety concerns,” but their Glastonbury performance remains on the lineup — and the BBC is still planning to air it live.
Conservative party leader Kemi Badenoch joined Starmer in criticizing the group, also taking aim at the BBC. “As a publicly funded platform, the BBC should not be rewarding extremism,” she wrote on social media.
Kneecap, whose debut album Fine Art was released in 2024, have built a reputation for blending satire, politics and Irish identity into a brash hip-hop sound. The controversy around their appearance has turned what might have been a standard festival set into one of Glastonbury’s most politically charged moments in years.
