Glastonbury boss backs Kneecap amid Keir Starmer controversy
Kneecap remain scheduled to perform at Glastonbury Festival this Saturday, June 28, despite calls from UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch for their removal.
Festival organiser Emily Eavis confirmed the Belfast trio are 'welcome' at Worthy Farm this weekend, stating: '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.'
Eavis, speaking to BBC Breakfast after the official opening of the festival gates on Wednesday, June 25, declined to directly respond to Starmers' remarks, saying: 'At the moment we're just focusing on bringing the best festival to the people who want to come here.'
The controversy follows Starmers' comments to The Sun earlier this week, where he was asked if he thought the Belfast rap group should perform at Glastonbury. He replied, 'No, I don't, and I think we need to come down really clearly on this.'
The Prime Minister, who was a former human rights adviser to the Northern Ireland Policing Board, also added: 'This is about the threats that shouldn't be made. I won't say too much because there's a court case on, but I don't think that's appropriate.'
The criticism comes after group member Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, also known as Mo Chara, was charged with a terrorism offence for allegedly displaying a Hezbollah flag at a London concert last year. His case is ongoing.
Badenoch also weighed in on social media, writing: 'The BBC should not be showing Kneecap propaganda… The BBC should not be rewarding extremism.'
In response, Kneecap posted: 'You know what's not appropriate, Keir?! Arming a fucking genocide… Fuck The Sun and solidarity with Palestine Action.'
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper recently announced she is preparing to proscribe Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation, which would make it a criminal offence to support or be a member of the group. The move has drawn criticism from human rights activists.
Former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar also weighed in, defending Kneecap's right to perform.
'It's the role of artists to be avant-garde, inappropriate, challenging, disruptive – from James Joyce to Sex Pistols and Playboy. Politicians really should not try to censor this… the accused is innocent until proven guilty.'
Earlier this week, singer Brian Kennedy suggested Kneecap should be on the Leaving Cert, telling The Irish Sun: 'I think putting the lyrics and songs of Kneecap on the Leaving Cert would be a really clever way of speaking to a new generation.'
'Kneecap are passionate about the Irish language. I want to see them live.'
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