PILTON, England (AP) — Irish-language rap group Kneecap performed to tens of thousands of people Saturday at the Glastonbury Festival despite criticism by British politicians and a terror charge for one of the trio.
Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, has been charged under the Terrorism Act with supporting a proscribed organization for allegedly waving a Hezbollah flag at a concert in London in November. He's on unconditional bail before a further court hearing in August.
"Glastonbury, I"m a free man!" Ó hAnnaidh shouted as Kneecap took the stage at Glastonbury’s West Holts field, which holds about 30,000 people. A scattering of Palestinian flags flew in the capacity crowd before the show, which opened with an audio montage of news clips referring to the band's critics and legal woes.
The Belfast trio has been praised for invigorating the Irish-language cultural scene in Northern Ireland, but also criticized for lyrics laden with expletives and drug references, and for political statements.
The band draws, often satirically, on the language and imagery of the Irish republican movement and Northern Ireland’s decades of violence. It has faced criticism since videos emerged allegedly showing the band shouting “up Hamas, up Hezbollah” and calling on people to kill lawmakers.
Members of the group say they don’t support Hezbollah or Hamas, nor condone violence, and Ó hAnnaidh says he picked up a flag that was thrown onto the stage without knowing what it represented. Kneecap has accused critics of trying to silence the band, because of its support for the Palestinian cause throughout the war in Gaza.
Several Kneecap gigs have been canceled as a result of the controversy. U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said, when asked by a journalist, that it wouldn't be “appropriate” for the festival to give Kneecap a platform.
Opposition Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch said the publicly funded BBC shouldn't broadcast “Kneecap propaganda.”
The BBC, which airs many hours of Glastonbury performances, said it wouldn't show Kneecap’s set live, but would “look to make an on-demand version of Kneecap’s performance available on our digital platforms” afterward.
About 200,000 ticket holders have gathered at Worthy Farm in southwest England for Britain’s most prestigious summer music festival, which features almost 4,000 performers on 120 stages. Headline acts performing over three days ending Sunday include Neil Young, Charli XCX, Rod Stewart, Busta Rhymes, Olivia Rodrigo and Doechii.
Glastonbury highlights on Friday included a performance from U.K. rockers The 1975, an unannounced set by New Zealand singer Lorde, a raucous reception for Gen X icon Alanis Morissette and an emotional return for Scottish singer Lewis Capaldi, two years after he took a break from touring to adjust to the impact of the neurological condition Tourette syndrome.
Louise Dixon, The Associated Press
