Kneecap's Glastonbury set 'not appropriate', UK Prime Minister says
BRITAIN'S PRIME MINISTER Keir Starmer has said he does not think Kneecap's planned Glastonbury Festival performance is 'appropriate'.
Speaking to The Sun newspaper yesterday, Starmer said he does not believe the Belfast rap group should be allowed to perform at the major music festival this year. It comes after
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch called on the BBC not to broadcast the set
.
Kneecap member Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, whose stage name is Mo Chara, appeared
before Westminster Magistrates Court on Wednesday
, charged with allegedly displaying a flag of the proscribed terrorist group Hezbollah while saying 'up Hamas, up Hezbollah' at a concert in November.
Starmer was asked if he thought the trio should perform at Glastonbury.
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The Labour leader said: 'No, I don't, and I think we need to come down really clearly on this. 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.'
Ó hAnnaidh was
released on unconditional bail to appear before a judge again in August
. His defence team signalled that they
will be contesting the charges
, and the band has said the accusations are politically-motivated.
Badenoch, who as the UK's culture minister in the last British government stripped the band of its public funding before a court overturned the decision, yesterday called on the BBC to not broadcast the band's set.
A BBC spokesperson said decisions about the programmes it will broadcast will be made in the lead-up to the festival. They said the broadcaster does not ban artists, but ensures that programming meets its independent editorial guidelines and standards.
With reporting by Press Association.
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