'F*** Kier Starmer': Kneecap hit back at British Prime Minister during Glastonbury set

Irish Post

8 hours ago

BELFAST rap group Kneecap led chants of 'F*** Kier Starmer' during their Glastonbury set days after the British Prime Minister said the band should not perform at the festival.
Kneecap's set was not shown live by the BBC, who instead released an edited version of the performance on iPlayer later on Saturday.
However, footage from the set was shared online, with one person who streamed the performance live getting 1.7m likes.
Meanwhile, Avon and Somerset Police have said they are assessing videos of performances from the festival, with punk duo Bob Vylan leading chants in support of Palestine and criticising Israel. Palestine support
Kneecap singer Liam Og O hAnnaidh, who performs under the name Mo Chara, had appeared in court earlier this month after being charged with a terror offence for allegedly displaying a Hezbollah flag during a 2024 show in London.
Starmer added his voice to those calling for Glastonbury to axe the band from the festival, saying he didn't think it was appropriate that they appear.
After the band opened with a montage of famous figures criticising them, Mo Chara told festival-goers at the West Holts Stage: "The Prime Minister of your country, not mine, said he didn't want us to play, so f*** Keir Starmer."
The band then repeated the chant, with the crowd joining in.
In front of dozens of Palestinian flags in the crowd, Mo Chara also gave an impassioned speech, once again reiterating the band's support for Palestine.
"This situation can be quite f****** stressful for us at times but the stress that we're feeling is minimal to what the Palestinian people are going through every f****** day," he said.
Kneecap played on the West Holts Stage at the festival (Image: OLI SCARFF / AFP via Getty Images)
"We're from West Belfast, a place still under British occupation, and Derry, so we understand colonialism, we understand how important it is for solidarity internationally.
"The Irish suffered 800 years of colonialism at the hands of the British state but we were never bombed from the f****** skies with nowhere to go.
"The Palestinians have nowhere to f****** go, literally.
"Not only are they being bombed from the f****** skies, they're now being starved to death —kids being starved to f****** death in this day and age.
"I don't have to lecture you people, we're all watching it, we all have a phone, there's no f****** hiding it — Israel are war criminals. It's a f****** genocide."
Referencing the BBC's axing of their live coverage of the band, he added: "I can see the amount of Palestinian flags here and it's f****** insane — the BBC editor is gonna have some job!" Bob Vylan chants
Despite the BBC's blackout of Kneecap, Bob Vylan managed to air their support for Palestine in the BBC's live coverage when they took to the West Holts Stage before the Belfast band.
Band member Bobby Vylan led the crowd in chants of 'Free, Free Palestine' before adding: "Have you heard this one though?"
He then chanted 'Death, Death to the IDF' before adding: "From the river to the sea, Palestine must be, will be, it shall, it will be free."
Bobby Vylan of Bob Vylan crowd surfs in front of the West Holts Stage (Image:)
Following the chants, Glastonbury Festival released a statement saying it 'does not condone hate speech or incitement to violence of any kind from its performers'.
A statement from the government added: "We strongly condemn the threatening comments made by Bob Vylan at Glastonbury."
The BBC said that when the comments were made during its live stream, 'a warning was issued on screen about the very strong and discriminatory language'.
"We have no plans to make the performance available on demand," it added. Incitement accusation
The Israeli Embassy in Britain released a statement after the performances, reading in part: "Freedom of expression is a cornerstone of democracy.
"But when speech crosses into incitement, hatred, and advocacy of ethnic cleansing, it must be called out — especially when amplified by public figures on prominent platforms.
"Chants such as 'Death to the IDF' and 'From the river to the sea' are slogans that advocate for the dismantling of the State of Israel and implicitly call for the elimination of Jewish self-determination."
According to Palestinian officials on Friday, more than 56,000 people have been killed by Israeli attacks on Gaza since the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks.
A festivalgoer wears an Irish Tricolour balaclava during Kneecap's Glastonbury set (Image: OLI SCARFF / AFP via Getty Images)
This week, the UN human rights office, OHCHR, criticised the Israeli and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which started operating on May 27 in selected hubs, bypassing the UN and other established NGOs.
"The weaponization of food for civilians, in addition to restricting or preventing their access to life-sustaining services, constitutes a war crime and, under certain circumstances, may constitute elements of other crimes under international law," said UN human rights office spokesperson Thameen Al-Keetan.
Following Saturday's performances, Avon and Somerset Police said they would be assessing video footage from the festival.
"We are aware of the comments made by acts on the West Holts Stage at Glastonbury Festival this afternoon," read a statement posted online.
"Video evidence will be assessed by officers to determine whether any offences may have been committed that would require a criminal investigation."
See More: Bob Vylan, Glastonbury, Israel, Kneecap, Palestine