Kneecap performing at Glastonbury ‘not appropriate’, PM says

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said he does not think Kneecap’s planned Glastonbury Festival performance is “appropriate”.

He made the comments after Kneecap member Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh appeared in court charged with a terror offence, relating to allegedly displaying a flag in support of proscribed terrorist organisation Hezbollah at a gig in November last year.

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.”

BBC News has approached Glastonbury Festival for comment.

In a post on social media on Saturday evening, Kneecap responded to the prime minister’s comments.

The band said: “You know what’s ‘not appropriate’ Keir?!” They then used an expletive to accuse the prime minister of arming a genocide.

Israel has strongly denied allegations of genocide relating to the ongoing war in Gaza.

Mr Ó hAnnaidh, charged under the name Liam O’Hanna, was released on unconditional bail after Wednesday’s hearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court.

The prime minister’s comments came after Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch said she thought the BBC “should not be showing” Kneecap’s performance at the festival next week.

Badenoch said in an 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.”

Responding to the Tory leader’s comments, a BBC spokesperson said as the festival’s broadcast partner, it “will be bringing audiences extensive music coverage from Glastonbury, with artists booked by the festival organisers”.

They added: “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.”

Badenoch has previously called for the group to be banned from Glastonbury, and last year Kneecap won a discrimination case against the UK government in Belfast High Court after she tried to refuse them a £14,250 funding award when she was a minister.

Kneecap took aim at Badenoch in their latest single, The Recap, released just before their headline set at London’s Wide Awake festival in May, with the song mocking the politician’s attempts to block their arts funding and the Conservative Party’s election loss.

On Wednesday, Mr Ó hAnnaidh, who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, was cheered by hundreds of supporters as he arrived with bandmates Naoise O Caireallain and JJ O Dochartaigh at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in “Free Mo Chara” T-shirts.

The 27-year-old will appear at the same court for his next hearing on 20 August.

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.”

In a statement, posted on social media in May after Mr Ó hAnnaidh was charged, Kneecap said: “We deny this ‘offence’ and will vehemently defend ourselves.”

The charge came following a counter-terrorism police investigation after the historical gig footage came to light.

Both Hamas and Hezbollah are banned in the UK and it is a crime to express support for them.

Kneecap say they have never supported Hamas or Hezbollah and would not incite violence against any individual.

Analysis from Charlotte Gallagher, BBC News correspondent

Will Kneecap care that the Prime Minister doesn’t think they should perform at Glastonbury?

Probably not.

If anything, it will likely increase the trio’s profile.

They’re selling out venues, getting millions of streams and being talked about by people across the world.

Calls by politicians and some celebrities to get Kneecap removed from line ups seem to have made them more famous or infamous – depending on your viewpoint.

There were hundreds of people outside Westminster Magistrates’ Court supporting Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh aka Mo Chara earlier this week. Many felt Kneecap were representing their views while politicians were not listening to them.

Mo Chara is back in court in August – expect similar crowds.

Kneecap are an Irish-speaking rap trio who have courted controversy with their provocative lyrics and merchandise.

The group was formed in 2017 by three friends who go by the stage names of Mo Chara, Móglaí Bap and DJ Próvaí.

Their rise to fame inspired a semi-fictionalised film starring Oscar-nominated actor Michael Fassbender.

The film won a British Academy of Film Award (Bafta) in February 2025.