Kneecap Banned From Hungary for Posing ‘National Security Threat'
Hungarian politician and spokesperson Zoltán Kovács announced the ban on social media on Thursday, saying Kneecap are 'officially banned from entering Hungary—for antisemitism and glorifying terror.'
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Kneecap were scheduled to perform at Budapest's Sziget Festival on Aug. 11. Kovács said the band would not be allowed in the country because they 'repeatedly engage in antisemitic hate speech supporting terrorism and terrorist groups. Hungary has zero tolerance for antisemitism in any form.'
He added, '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 responded with their own statement apologizing to the 'tens of thousands of fans who we were buzzing to see in person at Sziget.'
'The authoritarian government of Viktor Orban say we 'pose a national security threat,'' the band wrote. 'Which is fucking outrageous coming from a man who welcomed Netanyahu, a wanted war criminal, like a hero just a few weeks ago. There is no legal basis for his actions, no member of Kneecap has ever been convicted of any crime in any country. We stand against all hate crimes and Kneecap champions love and solidarity as well as calling out injustices where we see it.'
They added, 'It's clear this is political distraction and a further attempt to silence those who call out genocide against the Palestinian people.'
In a statement, Sziget called the Hungarian government's decision 'unnecessary and regrettable.'
'Following concerns raised by government and pressure groups across Hungary over the past weeks at the prospect of Kneecap performing, we have liaised closely with the band and they reassured us that their performance would not contravene either Sziget's values or Hungarian law,' the festival said. 'Sziget Festival's values mean we condemn hate speech, while guaranteeing the fundamental right to artistic freedom of expression for every performer. Cancel culture and cultural boycotts are not the solution…. We fear that government's decision announced today to ban Kneecap may not only damage the reputation of Sziget, but also negatively affect Hungary's standing worldwide.'
Kneecap have been a constant subject of controversy over the past few months, both in the U.K. and around the world. At Coachella in April, the trio started one of their sets with a screen message that read, 'Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people,' followed by, 'It is being enabled by the U.S. government who arm and fund Israel despite their war crimes.' At Glastonbury last month, the band led the crowd in a chant of 'Fuck Keir Starmer.'
The band was subsequently investigated by police for their Glastonbury performance, which was not aired live. Last week, the BBC reported that the Avon and Somerset Police announced that in following advice from the Crown Prosecution Service it had decided not to take any further action against Kneecap due to 'insufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction for any offense.'
Additionally, Kneecap's Mo Chara, born Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, faced a terror charge in the U.K. for allegedly displaying the Hezbollah flag and yelling, 'Up, Hamas, up Hezbollah,' and, 'The only good Tory is a dead Tory,' at a November 2024 concert.
Ó hAnnaidh and Kneecap have repeatedly denied the allegations and claimed footage from the concert was 'deliberately taken out of all context.' They've also suggested the charge was backlash towards their vocal support for Palestine, against the war in Gaza, and and against the U.K. and U.S. governments for funding and supplying it. Chara is currently out on bail ahead of an August 20 court date.
This article was updated with a statement from Sziget on July 25 at 7:45 a.m. ET
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