Irish rap group Kneecap have criticised accusations of support for 'terrorism' levelled against them amid continued political interference over their Saturday performance at the world-renowned Glastonbury music festival in the UK, as the BBC responded to critics calling for the artists to be deplatformed.
Following their highly publicised pro-Palestine stance and political commentary, Kneecap member Mo Chara (real name Liam Og O hAnnaidh) was charged last Wednesday with a terror offence for allegedly displaying the flag of Lebanese organisation Hezbollah during a music gig in London last November.
He was also accused of chanting "Up Hamas, Up Hezbollah" during the same concert.
Both Hezbollah, the Iran-backed Lebanese group, and the Palestinian organisation Hamas are proscribed under UK terrorism laws, making it a criminal offence to express support for them.
The charges against the rapper have led to calls for the group’s removal from the Glastonbury line-up by political figures - including British Prime Minister Keir Starmer who claimed it was not "appropriate" for the band to perform at the country’s biggest music festival.
Kneecap have been outspoken about their support for Palestinians suffering as a result of Israel's genocidal war in Gaza, where over 56,000 people have been killed since October 2023.
In an interview with The Guardian on Saturday ahead of the group’s performance, however, Mo Chara said that his display of the Hezbollah flag and chanting were a "joke", saying that he was " in character" and various objects are "thrown on stage all the time".
He added, "If I’m supposed to know every f****** thing that’s thrown on stage, I’d be in Mensa."
"I don’t know every proscribed organisation- I’ve got enough sh*t to worry about up there. I’m thinking about my next lyric, my next joke, the next drop of a beat."
The group has previously reiterated that the charges against Mo Chara are intended as a "distraction", while continuing to amplify the plight of Palestinians.
But the UK government has doubled down on its opposition to the band’s scheduled appearance, urging Glastonbury Festival organisers to "think carefully" about the decision.
Other politicians also weighed in, including Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, who called for the hour-long set to be cancelled, and Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy, who accused Kneecap of thriving "on the oxygen of publicity".
The BBC issued a statement amid mounting questions over whether it will broadcast the group’s set.
A spokesperson for the corporation, which will offer more than 90 hours of performances with live streams from Glastonbury’s five main stages, stated on Saturday: "As the broadcast partner, the BBC will be bringing audiences extensive music coverage from Glastonbury, with artists booked by the festival organisers."
"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," they said.
It is yet to be confirmed whether the broadcaster will stream the Kneecap performance live or if parts of the set could potentially be made available to watch at a later time via the BBC’s catch-up services.
The group has already been pulled from a slew of summer gigs, including a Scottish festival appearance and several performances in Germany.
As reported by The Guardian, an alleged secret letter signed by 30 music executives sought to have the Irish rap artists removed from line-ups - and was shared by English DJ Toddla T in an Instagram post earlier this month.
"What we’re seeing is a coordinated attempt by 30 members of the musical elite, people with systemic influence, to silence the voices of three working-class artists from Belfast," the former BBC Radio 1 DJ and music producer wrote.
"And all of it was done behind closed doors."
In response, more than 100 English and Irish musicians signed a public letter in support of the Belfast group, including Massive Attack, Pulp, Fontaines D.C., English Teacher, and BBC Radio DJ Annie Mac.
Glastonbury co-organiser Emily Eavis also responded to the opposition facing the group- including comments from the Prime Minister- as she and her father, festival founder Michael Eavis, opened the festival on Wednesday.
"There have been a lot of really heated topics this year, but we remain a platform for many, many artists from all over the world and, you know, everyone is welcome here," she said in response to Starmer’s remarks.