Irish rappers Kneecap perform controversial Glastonbury set
Irish rap trio Kneecap staged a defiant performance at Britain's Glastonbury Festival Saturday, days after Prime Minister Keir Starmer said they should not be performing there.
The group has made headlines in recent months with their pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel stance, and one of their members has been charged with a "terror" offence for allegedly supporting Hezbollah.
"Glastonbury, I'm a free man", said Liam O'Hanna, who appeared in court earlier this month accused of having displayed a Hezbollah flag while saying "Up Hamas, Up Hezbollah" at a London concert last year.
The Iran-backed Lebanese force Hezbollah and the Palestinian militant group Hamas are banned in the UK, and it is an offence to express support for them.
O'Hanna, known by his stage name Mo Chara, has denied the charge.
"This situation can be quite stressful but it's minimal compared to what the Palestinian people are (facing)," O'Hanna, wearing his trademark keffiyah and black sunglasses told thousands of cheering supporters, many waving Palestinian flags.
O'Hanna also gave "a shout out" to Palestine Action Group, which interior minister Yvette Cooper announced last week would become a banned group under the Terrorism Act of 2000.
- 'Playing characters' -
Fellow band member DJ Provai wore a t-shirt dedicated to the campaign group, whose prohibition comes after its activists broke into a British Royal Air Force base and vandalised two planes.
Before Kneecap took to the stage, rap punk duo Bob Vylan led the crowd in chants of "Death, death to the IDF", a reference to the Israeli Defence Forces.
Later, Kneecap led the crowd chanting abuse directed at Starmer.
Formed in 2017, Kneecap is no stranger to controversy. To their fans they are daring provocateurs who stand up to the establishment; to their detractors they are dangerous extremists.
Their Irish and English lyrics are filled with references to drugs, they repeatedly clashed with the UK's previous Conservative government and have vocally opposed British rule in Northern Ireland.
The group apologised this year after a 2023 video emerged appearing to show one singer calling for the death of British Conservative MPs.
Two MPs have been murdered in Britain in the past nine years and many of them worry about their safety.
But Kneecap deny the terrorism charge and say the video featuring the Hezbollah flag has been taken out of context.
Asked whether he regretted waving it, and other comments caught on camera, Chara told the Guardian in an interview published Friday: "Why should I regret it? It was a joke -- we're playing characters."
- Glastonbury rejects criticism -
Since O'Hanna was charged, the group has been pulled from a slew of summer gigs, including a Scottish festival appearance and various performances in Germany.
But Glastonbury organisers defied Starmer who had said it was not "appropriate" for Kneecap to perform at Glastonbury, one of the country's biggest and most famous music festivals.
"People that don't like the politics of the event can go somewhere else," Michael Eavis, co-founder of the festival said in AN article published in a free newspaper for festival-goers.
Public broadcaster the BBC faced pressure not to air the concert.
In statement Saturday, a spokesperson for the broadcaster said the performance would not be shown live but would likely be available on-demand afterwards.
vid-pdh/jj
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
6 hours ago
- News.com.au
UK considers envoy for Britons held abroad
Britain is preparing to emulate the United States by appointing an envoy tasked with freeing citizens arbitrarily detained abroad, as it faces calls to do more to bring them home. High-profile cases like jailed Egyptian-British activist Alaa Abdel Fattah and imprisoned Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai have spotlighted the plight of Britons held in jails overseas. The UK foreign ministry insists it continues to press such cases with governments, but relatives of detainees and human rights organisations complain of a lack of urgency and transparency. "The government is committed to strengthening support for British nationals, including through the appointment of a new envoy," a Foreign Office spokesperson told AFP. Middle East Minister Hamish Falconer has said an "Envoy for Complex Consular Detentions" is expected to be appointed "before the summer". The government has not specified the terms of the role but it could be similar to America's Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, a position created in 2015. Unlike the United States though, Britain does not take part in prisoner exchanges. Professor Carla Ferstman, an expert on arbitrary detentions at the Human Rights Centre at Essex Law School, said appointing someone would be the "clearest thing that the UK can do that it hasn't done yet". "When you have someone at the highest level they command a certain level of respect," she told AFP. Abdel Fattah was arrested in September 2019 and sentenced to five years in prison on charges of "spreading false news" after sharing a Facebook post about police brutality. He is still imprisoned despite a hunger strike by his mother and Britain's foreign ministry saying it is pushing for his release "at the highest levels of the Egyptian government". His sister Sanaa Seif said an envoy would mean "a proper continued focus on" freeing detainees. - 'Clear strategy' - "It's also important to have a focal point that can help coordinate between different government bodies so that they all work in synchronisation," she told AFP. Seif believes the government should consider revising travel advice to Egypt too, a call also made by lawmakers who have suggested the government should sanction Egyptian officials as well. "Is it not clear that words are no longer sufficient?" Conservative peer Guy Black asked in parliament's House of Lords recently. Ferstman said tightening travel guidance can be a powerful tool. "It's a big deal because all of a sudden tourists can't get insurance and it's harder for business travel to happen. There's all kinds of implications," she explained. Amnesty International recently called for the government to develop a "clear strategy" to support arbitrarily detained Britons, including by demanding that UK officials attend trials. The Labour government pledged in its general election-winning manifesto last year that it would introduce "a new right to consular assistance in cases of human rights violations". Amnesty also wants the government to call for a person's "immediate release", including publicly when it is requested by the family. It said London took three years to publicly call for Lai to be freed, something his son Sebastian said "sends the wrong message" to "autocratic states". "The quicker we have the government speak out post-arrest, that's the window of opportunity to have people released," Eilidh Macpherson, Amnesty's campaigns manager for individuals at risk told AFP. UK officials say the government can be wary of accusations it is interfering in another country's judicial system. "Sometimes it may need to be quiet about what it's doing, but this shouldn't come at the expense of transparency," said Ferstman. Jagtar Singh Johal, a Sikh blogger from Scotland, was arrested in India in November 2017 while there for his wedding on accusations of being part of a terror plot against right-wing Hindu leaders. He has not been convicted of a crime and in March was cleared in one of the nine charges against him. The foreign ministry spokesperson said Foreign Secretary David Lammy "continues to raise concerns" about the detention with India's government "at every appropriate opportunity". But his brother, Gurpreet Singh Johal complains of being kept in the dark. "We don't know what's actually being said," he told AFP. Gurpreet said an envoy would be a "good thing" but until the position is in place, "We won't know exactly what it means."
7NEWS
7 hours ago
- 7NEWS
Glastonbury festival BBC livestream: Outrage as ‘death to IDF' chant airs, Bob Vylan, Kneecap investigated
British authorities have issued a strong condemnation after rap punk duo Bob Vylan led the crowd in chants at the Glastonbury Festival calling for 'free, free Palestine' and 'death, death to the IDF' during a set broadcast live by the BBC. The performance, which took place on the West Holts Stage just ahead of Belfast rap trio Kneecap, prompted the government to describe the comments as unacceptable. A BBC spokesperson stated that some of the remarks were 'deeply offensive,' with a warning about 'very strong and discriminatory language' displayed on screen. The broadcaster confirmed the set would not be available for replay on BBC iPlayer. Police have announced they are reviewing video footage of both Bob Vylan's and Kneecap's performances to determine if any laws were broken. A statement from Glastonbury Festival said it 'does not condone hate speech or incitement to violence of any kind from its performers.' Following the incident, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy contacted the BBC director general to request an urgent explanation regarding the broadcaster's due diligence before airing the act. The government also expressed approval of the decision not to re-broadcast the performance. Loading Instagram Post Kneecap, who performed after Bob Vylan, have been in the spotlight recently after band member Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh (Mo Chara) was charged with a terrorism offence for allegedly displaying the flag of banned group Hezbollah at a previous concert—a charge he denies. Kneecap's Saturday set, watched by thousands, included expletive-laden chants directed at UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who had previously described their festival appearance as 'not appropriate.' Ó hAnnaidh is currently on bail following a recent court hearing. Avon and Somerset Police confirmed they are assessing video evidence from both acts to decide whether a criminal investigation is warranted. 'Glastonbury, I'm a free man,' Mo Chara said after appearing on stage. 'The prime minister of your country - not mine - said he didn't want us to play, so f*** Keir Starmer,' Mo Chara told the crowd, wearing the keffiyeh scarf associated with Palestinians. At least 30,000 people, hundreds of them with Palestinian flags, crammed into the West Holts stage in blazing sunshine to watch the trio, causing organisers to close the area. After opening their set with Better Way to Live, which mixes English and Irish, another of the group's members - M?gla? Bap, otherwise known as Naoise ? Caireall?in - said Mo Chara would be back in court for a 'trumped up terrorism charge'. Mo Chara told the crowd the situation over the lawsuit was stressful but it was minimal compared to what the Palestinians were going through every day. Later in the set, Mo Chara accused Israel of committing war crimes, saying, 'There's no hiding it.' Irwin Kelly, 40, said the trio got the crowd really involved in the set. 'Obviously it had a bit of controversy surrounding it,' he said. 'But it's art, it's performance.' The Israeli embassy in the United Kingdom earlier said it was 'deeply disturbed by the inflammatory and hateful rhetoric expressed on stage at the Glastonbury Festival'. It did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Kneecap's statements. Access to the area around the West Holts Stage was closed about 45 minutes before Kneecap's performance after groups of fans arrived to form a sea of Irish and Palestinian flags. Starmer told the Sun newspaper this month it was 'not appropriate' for Kneecap to appear at the famed music festival in the southwest of England. Opposition leader Kemi Badenoch had said the public broadcaster BBC, which livestreams the festival, should not show Kneecap, and 30 music industry bosses asked organisers to pull the band from the line-up, according to a letter leaked by DJ Toddla T, cited by the Guardian newspaper. In response, more than 100 musicians have signed a public letter in support of the group. The BBC said on Saturday Kneecap's set would not be live-streamed but said the performance is likely to be made available on-demand later. Kneecap manager Dan Lambert told Reuters the group had expected calls for the performance to be cancelled. During the hour-long set, Kneecap thanked organisers Michael and Emily Eavis for not bowing to the pressure. Kneecap, whose third member has the stage name DJ Pr?va?, has said they do not support Hamas or Hezbollah. Mo Chara said on Friday the group were 'playing characters' on stage, and it was up to the audience to interpret their messages. The performance followed months of debate over the band's inclusion, after frontman Liam O'Hanna (stage name Mo Chara) was charged with a terrorism offence for allegedly displaying a Hezbollah flag and making supportive remarks about Hamas and Hezbollah at a London concert last year. Both groups are banned in the UK, and expressing support for them is an offence. O'Hanna, who appeared in court earlier this month, has denied the charge and described his legal troubles as minimal compared to the suffering of Palestinians. On stage, O'Hanna wore his trademark keffiyeh and gave a 'shout out' to the Palestine Action Group, which has also recently been banned under anti-terror laws. Fellow band member DJ Provai wore a t-shirt dedicated to the campaign group. Kneecap's set was just one highlight of a festival that also saw surprise performances from Britpop legends Pulp and Scottish singer Lewis Capaldi, as well as headline acts including Neil Young and Olivia Rodrigo.
ABC News
7 hours ago
- ABC News
Kneecap play Glastonbury set amid terrorism charge as police investigate crowd chants
British authorities are reviewing footage of several performances at the Glastonbury Festival after two musical acts led their audiences in controversial chants. Elsewhere at Worthy Farm and on televisions across the UK, fans enjoyed surprise performances and the conclusion of a will they, won't they debate on broadcasting permissions. Here's what you may have missed. In the days leading up to Glastonbury, politicians and music industry bosses called on organisers to pull Irish hip-hop group Kneecap from the line-up. That was in response to band member Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, whose stage name is Mo Chara, being charged with a terrorism offence last month for allegedly displaying a flag of Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah at a concert. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the band's appearance was "not appropriate". In response, Kneecap led chants of "F*** Keir Starmer" when they took the West Holts stage on Saturday. "The prime minister of your country, not mine, said he didn't want us to play, so f*** Keir Starmer," Mo Chara told the crowd, wearing a keffiyeh scarf associated with Palestinians. At least 30,000 people, hundreds of them with Palestinian flags, crammed in front of West Holts stage in blazing sunshine to watch the trio, causing organisers to close the area. After opening their set with Better Way to Live, another of the group's members — Móglaí Bap, otherwise known as Naoise Ó Cairealláin — said Mo Chara would be back in court for a "trumped up terrorism charge". Mo Chara told the crowd the situation over the lawsuit was stressful, but it was minimal compared to what the Palestinians were going through every day. Kneecap, whose third member has the stage name DJ Próvaí, have said they do not support Hamas or Hezbollah. Mo Chara said on Friday the group were "playing characters" on stage, and it was up to the audience to interpret their messages. Also during the set, Mo Chara accused Israel of committing war crimes, saying: "There's no hiding it." A livestream of Kneecap's set reportedly pulled more than 1 million viewers on TikTok, after the BBC chose not to include it in its live broadcast of Glastonbury. Earlier, punk duo Bob Vylan led the crowd in a chant calling for "death to the IDF" on the same stage. The BBC has said it will not make Bob Vylan's performance available to watch on demand. Avon and Somerset Police said officers would assess video evidence of acts on the West Holts stage "to determine whether any offences may have been committed that would require a criminal investigation". For those who checked the Pyramid Stage's Saturday line-up, a particular listing caused a stir. In the third-from-the-top slot, a mysterious act was listed under the made-up name of 'Patchwork'. In the past, placeholder names have promised huge acts — ChurnUps in 2023 turned out to be the Foo Fighters, for example. Ahead of the performance, the rumour mill threw out theories that it could be Robbie Williams, Haim and Mumford and Sons. By the time 6.15pm rolled around, crowds that had diligently waited were rewarded with Britpop band Pulp. It was a fitting performance, with the band having headlined Glastonbury exactly 30 years and four days prior, when their famous track Common People was soaring in music charts. "Hi, my name is Jarvis, hello," the band's frontman Jarvis Cocker began. "This is Pulp. Sorry to the people who were expecting Patchwork. Did you know it was us?" Their set hit all the classic notes, ticking off Sorted For E's & Wizz, OU (Gone, Gone) and Disco 2000. For Acrylic Afternoons, Cocker said he was going to visit the crowd, and lobbed a cupful of teabags into the audience. "Share 'em," he said. As the clock ran down on their set, Pulp launched into their iconic hit, Common People. The song's crescendo was underscored with a flyover by the Royal Air Force's Red Arrows. In the headliner slot for the Pyramid Stage on Saturday was Neil Young and the Chrome Hearts. After much ado over Young's refusal to allow BBC to broadcast his Glastonbury performance, the Canadian-American singer had a last-minute change of heart. Young had been at odds with the British broadcaster for months, at one time threatening to pull out of the festival entirely because it was under the "corporate control" of the BBC and "not for me like it used to be". But on Saturday, the BBC announced it had been given permission to show his set live after all. "How you doing out there? How are you doing at the back? And how about you people with your TVs in the bedroom?" Young joked during the set. At the same time Neil Young and the Pyramid Stage were Rockin' In the Free World, Charli xcx was closing out the Other Stage. Her set started with a frayed, neon lime curtain emblazoned with 'brat' sent up in flames. While it first appeared to signal the end of the singer's brat era, graphics later flashed across the screens, declaring "brat is forever <3". Charli dedicated most of her time on stage to running through her brat hits, as water rained down over her set and screens flashed overhead. Gracie Abrams, who performed her own set at Glastonbury on Friday, was brought out as the Apple Girl. Surprise sets are to be expected at Glastonbury, but usually the artist is at least in the know ahead of time. That wasn't the case for Skepta, who pulled together a set list on just a few hours' notice. The British grime rapper was asked to step in to fill a vacancy on the Other Stage left by alt-metal band Deftones, who cancelled due to illness. Lucky for organisers, Skepta was already in the area after performing a DJ set on the Glade stage on Friday night. "Let's go! No crew, no production but am ready to shut Glastonbury down," he said, stepping onstage for the second time of the festival. "Victory lap time. Pre-Big Smoke 2025!" A good portion of his crowd may have been made up of fans waiting for a front-row spot for Charli xcx's set, but Skepta still managed to inject energy into the audience. In an effort to bridge the apparent divide, Skepta later acknowledged the contrasting audience demographics on X, writing: "We love Charli XCX". ABC/Reuters
