Hungarian authorities have banned Irish rap group Kneecap from entering the country to perform at the Sziget Festival.
They accused the band of using anti-Semitic hate speech and praising the Hamas militant group, a government spokesperson said on Thursday.
Belfast-based Kneecap, who regularly display pro-Palestinian messages during their gigs, have caused controversy elsewhere in recent months, including at Britain’s Glastonbury Festival, where frontman Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh – known as Mo Chara – accused Israel of committing war crimes.
“Hungary’s government has moved to ban Kneecap from entering the country and performing at Sziget ... citing antisemitic hate speech and open praise for Hamas and Hezbollah as justification,” government spokesperson Zoltan Kovacs wrote in a post on X.
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Mr Kovacs later posted the official letters from immigration authorities banning the band for three years, claiming that their entry would “seriously threaten national security”.
In May, Mo Chara was charged with a terrorism offence in Britain for allegedly displaying a flag in support of Iran-backed Hizbullah. He denies the offence.
Last week, UK police said the group would face no further action following their performance at Glastonbury last month.
The trio led Glastonbury crowds in chants of “f**k Keir Starmer”, in reference to the British prime minister, during their set at the festival.
In a statement posted on X, Kneecap described the ban as a “political distraction and a further attempt to silence those who call out genocide against the Palestinian people.”
“To the tens of thousands of fans who we were buzzing to see in person at Sziget, we’re sorry we won’t be with you,” it said.
It said the “authoritarian” government of Viktor Orban deemed the group to “pose a national security threat”.
“Which is f**king outrageous coming from a man who welcomed Netanyahu, a wanted war criminal, like a hero just a few weeks ago.
“There is no legal basis for his actions, no member of Kneecap has ever been convicted of any crime in any country. We stand against all hate crimes and Kneecap champions love and solidarity as well as calling out injustices where we see them.
“It’s clear this is political distraction and a further attempt to silence those who call out genocide against the Palestinian people.
“Much like the good people of Budapest, who defied their own president’s ban on their ‘Pride Parade’ in June, we will fight on for what is right,” it said.
Hungary’s government had already asked festival organisers to drop Kneecap from the line-up at the week-long event, which draws several hundred thousand music lovers to an island in the River Danube each year.
More than 150 artists and cultural figures, including Academy Award-winning director Laszlo Nemes Jeles, have also signed a petition protesting against Kneecap’s participation.
Sziget organisers, who said they had not been notified of the government’s decision, have resisted the calls to scrap Kneecap’s planned performance on August 11th.
“Our festival remains true to what we have consistently achieved over the past 30 years: there is no place for hatred, incitement, prejudice, or any form of racism or anti-Semitism,” they said in a statement last week.
Sziget’s other performers this year include Post Malone, Shawn Mendes and Charli XCX. – Reuters
