ADVERTISEMENT This summer has seen Irish rappers Kneecap dropped from a number of line-ups, including Germany’s Hurricane and Southside festivals, as well as being slapped with a three-year ban from Hungary ahead of their planned performance at Sziget – where the band would have played tonight.
“It is important to say that Hungary is an island of freedom and peace in a troubled world. Here, no one can be abused because of their origin or religion, even verbally. The organizers could have been wise enough not to invite them and not put Hungary in such a situation.”
These were the words of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, referring to Kneecap’s ban. Orbán also labelled Kneecap as “anti-Semitic”, with the Hungarian government stating that the band’s statements cannot be protected by artistic freedom or freedom of expression.
The band has denied accusations of anti-Semitism, claiming that those attacking the band “weaponize” the false accusation to “distract, confuse, and provide cover for genocide.”
Kneecap has not been deterred and has frequently used their platform at various music festivals to speak out not against the Jewish people but against Israel’s war in Gaza.
They did so at Coachella – where they denounced the US government’s funding of “war criminal Israel”; at Best Kept Secret – where the pre-show screening denounces the “Israeli genocide and the Western media’s cover-up”; at Glastonbury – where their controversial set alongside Bob Vylan launched a police investigation; and most recently during their set at Øyafestivalen in Oslo.
Indeed, the band criticised the Norwegian government ahead of their performance at the festival last Friday (8 August), displaying a message on the video screen that accused the Norwegian government of “enabling” the “genocide” in Gaza through the country’s “oil pension fund”.
Kneecap were referring to the Government Pension Fund of Norway, which invests surplus revenues from the country’s petroleum industry and has a reported €1.6trillion in assets.
The fund has faced controversy after a recent report from Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten found it had invested around €13million in Bet Shemesh Engines Ltd. – a jet engines parts manufacturer supplying the Israeli military – between 2023-2024.
In the wake of the report, the Norwegian government has launched a review of the fund to ensure that it is not investing in Israeli companies contributing to the war in Gaza. Norway has also recognised Palestine as a state.
“Over 80,000 people have been murdered by Israel in 21 months,” Kneecap’s message continued. “Free Palestine.”
During their Oslo performance, Kneecap could be heard on stage saying: “The fact is, as long as we’re on stage and as long as nothing is changing, Kneecap will always use this platform and this stage to call out the genocide and the war criminals. I don’t need to lecture you people when your oil fund is being used to fund the genocide.”
Band member Mo Chara also gave a “quick shout-out” to Øyafestivalen for “standing by Kneecap” despite calls for them to be removed from the line-up.
Not every festival stands by Kneecap’s freedom of expression, as evidenced by the recent news that the band’s upcoming gig in Vienna on 1 September has been cancelled “due to acute safety concerns”, following political pressure from Austria’s far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ).
However, and despite the ban, Sziget tried to defend Kneecap’s performance for as long as it could. The organisers’ position was to condemn hate speech, but to guarantee all performers the right to artistic expression.
A statement from Sziget also mentions that they have been in close contact with members of Kneecap, who assured them that their show would not violate Hungarian law or Sziget’s principles. Still, the Hungarian government’s decision means that fans will be left wanting.
Festival director Tamás Kádár called the ban on Kneecap an unprecedented, unnecessary and regrettable move that will damage Sziget and Hungary’s international image.
Kádár told Euronews Culture at a press briefing on Day Zero that many in the pop scene were deeply shocked by what had happened, and that he believed the issue went far beyond Kneecap.
“I think that this is not about the band, but about the world’s attitude to culture in general, or politics’ attitude to culture,” Kádár said, adding: “Or rather, the fact that recently, politics and war have entered the cultural life of the day. And it seems that not all politicians know what to do with that.”
Conversely, audiences do know what to do, as many were heard chanting “dirty Fidesz” (Orbán’s national-conservative party) and several Free Palestine flags were seen during the opening day of Sziget festival.
While Hungarian audiences have been deprived of Kneecap, many other festivals are sticking with the band – including the upcoming Green Man Festival in Wales. The band has more than forty concerts remaining on its calendar for this year – including dates in Sweden, Norway, Finland, France and Belgium – and then a US leg which kicks off in October.
Since Hamas’ attack on Israeli citizens on October 7, 2023, multiple UN human rights experts have stated that Israel’s military actions in Gaza amount to genocide, with the International Court of Justice finding claims of genocide plausible.
Israel has rejected the genocide accusations and maintain that its operations are lawful acts of self-defence. Claims Kneecap have vocally rebuked. And will continue to do so.
