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Kneecap banned from entering Hungary ahead of music festival

Kneecap banned from entering Hungary ahead of music festival

The group, who are outspoken supporters of Palestine, were due to perform at Sziget Festival on August 11 and remain on the line-up on its website.
Government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs wrote on social media platform X that the decision to ban Kneecap was due to its 'members repeatedly engage in antisemitic hate speech supporting terrorism and terrorist groups'.
'Hungary has zero tolerance for antisemitism in any form.
'Their planned performance posed a national security threat, and for this reason, the group has been formally banned from Hungary for three years.
'If they enter, expulsion will follow under international norms.'
Kneecap have had several shows cancelled in recent months, including TRNSMT festival in Glasgow and at the Eden Project in Cornwall.
They claim this is part of a smear campaign against them because of their vocal support for Palestine and criticism of Israel's actions in Gaza, which they say is a genocide.
The trio – comprised of Liam Og O hAnnaidh, Naoise O Caireallain, and JJ O Dochartaigh – were formed in Belfast and released their first single in 2017.
They hit the headlines recently after O hAnnaidh, who performs under the name Mo Chara, was charged with a terror offence relating to allegedly displaying a flag in support of Hezbollah.
In May, the Metropolitan Police said the group were being investigated by counter-terrorism police after videos emerged allegedly showing them shouting 'Up Hamas, up Hezbollah' and 'Kill your local MP'.
The group apologised to the families of murdered MPs and said they have 'never supported' Hamas or Hezbollah, which are banned in the UK.
They were also investigated over their set at Glastonbury Festival in June, but last week Avon and Somerset Police confirmed they would be taking no further action.
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What the media doesn't tell us about Gaza
What the media doesn't tell us about Gaza

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What the media doesn't tell us about Gaza

Sir Keir Starmer's apparent justification for threatening to recognise a Palestinian state by September is pictures. 'I think people are revolted at what they are seeing on their screen,' he said on Monday. On Tuesday, he spoke of 'starving babies, children too weak to stand, images that will stay with us for a lifetime'. Pictures, however grim, seem a weak basis for a massive constitutional change. Sir Keir is also assuming that the pictures in question are 'true'. Yet pictures, precisely because of their emotional impact, often undergo less editorial scrutiny than words and are frequently reproduced by other media unchecked. At the weekend, the New York Times put an eloquent picture of an emaciated little boy in his mother's arms on its front page headlined, 'Gazans are dying of starvation'. Similar coverage appeared in many British publications. 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