BBC will broadcast Kneecap at Glastonbury despite calls for ban

Telegraph

4 hours ago

The BBC has refused to deplatform controversial rap group Kneecap ahead of the trio's Glastonbury set.
Amid mounting political pressure to not air the group's performance on Saturday, the BBC insisted that it did not 'ban artists' but would make sure that the broadcast 'meets our editorial guidelines'.
The Telegraph understands that one option under consideration will be to broadcast Kneecap's gig on iPlayer after the live performance, as the BBC has done in the past. This allows the broadcaster to scrutinise the set for any language or imagery that might breach BBC guidelines.
But the Conservatives said that allowing Kneecap's set to be broadcast either live or on iPayer would be 'simply not acceptable'.
It comes after a member of the trio was charged with a terror offence for allegedly displaying a flag in support of Hezbollah, a proscribed terrorist organisation, at a gig in November 2024.
Liam O'Hanna, 27, appeared in court earlier this month and was released on unconditional bail until his next court appearance on August 20.
The group's involvement at Worthy Farm has provoked a backlash from both sides of the political spectrum after footage emerged from Kneecap's previous concerts showing members shouting 'kill your local MP' and 'up Hamas, up Hezbollah'.
Sir Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, urged the festival to kick the trio off its schedule, while Kemi Badenoch, the Tory leader, said the BBC should not broadcast footage of their show.
Stuart Andrew, the Tory shadow culture secretary, said: 'It is deeply troubling that the BBC, a publicly funded institution with a responsibility to uphold ethical broadcasting standards, would choose to platform a band that has a leading member facing a terror charge.
'Giving Kneecap visibility, whether live or on iPlayer, is simply not acceptable, and directly betrays the BBC's mandate. They must urgently think again.'
In a statement ahead of Kneecap's set, the BBC said: '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.'
BBC Radio 2 DJ Jo Whiley described the rap group as 'very passionate about their music' ahead of their performance on Saturday.
Speaking on the Today Programme, she urged people to watch their set and 'make up their own minds'.
'So if the performance goes out [on the BBC] – and I'm not sure exactly what is happening at the moment but I believe it is – then people should watch and make up their own minds,' she said.
'It's satirical, it's a f—ing joke'
Meanwhile, O'Hanna – who appears under the stage name Mo Chara – defended waving the Hezbollah flag, which had been passed to him by a fan, on stage. In a new interview with The Guardian ahead of the gig, he said: 'S–t is thrown on stage all the time.'
He told the newspaper: 'If I'm supposed to know every f—ing thing that's thrown on stage... I don't know every proscribed organisation – I've got enough s–t to worry about up there.'
Addressing the comments about targeting Tory MPs elsewhere, he said: 'Why should I regret it? It was a joke – we're playing characters, it's satirical, it's a f—ing joke.'
O'Hanna added of the critiques against the band: 'If you believe that what a satirical band who play characters on stage do is more outrageous than the murdering of innocent Palestinians, then you need to give your head a f—ing wobble.'
He also said it was not Kneecap's 'job to tell people what's a joke and what's not', insisting that they will continue to have 'political messaging in our songs'.
'It's not for us to dissect it for other people,' he concluded. 'Take what you want from it, but we're not going to change in that way.'
A BBC insider recently told The i newspaper that the corporation is 'likely' to show Kneecap's performance 'in some form', explaining that the broadcaster cannot be seen 'to bow to political pressure'.
Elsewhere at the festival, Bono's son Elijah Hewson dedicated a performance with his band Inhaler to 'the people of Palestine'.
During a show on the Other Stage, the frontman said: 'I'd like to dedicate this next song to the people of Palestine, to any innocent people being starved or bombed, or genocide for the sake of some lunatics.
'I feel like we have to say that because our greatest strength is freedom of expression, and there's no better place for it than right here at Glastonbury. So, be kind to each other, and have a great time.'
Glastonbury's founder, meanwhile, has told people to 'go somewhere else' if they do not like the politics of the event.
Sir Michael Eavis insisted his festival 'stands for something' amid the mounting controversy.
Elsewhere at the Worthy Farm event, a Palestine Action activist is set to appear as a speaker.
Francesca Nadin, who contributes to the Revolutionary Communist Party website, is part of the group that Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has recently said she will proscribe under anti-terror law following a break-in at the RAF base at Brize Norton.
It was also revealed on Friday that Reform's Richard Tice had turned down an invitation to debate at Glastonbury after his team concluded that 'it would not be safe' for him to attend, he said.
The party's deputy leader was invited to debate Zack Polanski, deputy leader of the Green Party.