Irish rappers Kneecap play Glastonbury despite criticism from politicians
Singer Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh has been charged under the Terrorism Act for allegedly waving a Hezbollah flag at a concert in London in November
Irish-language rap group Kneecap performed to tens of thousands of people on 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 organisation for allegedly waving a Hezbollah flag at a concert in London in November. He is 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 criticised 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 do not 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.