Watch Kneecap condemn Viktor Orbán in surprise Sziget 2025 broadcast
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán announced last month that the trio were deemed a 'national security threat' and officially banned from entering Hungary for 'anti-Semitism and glorifying terror'.
Still, that didn't stop the band from getting their voices heard loud and clear.
Kneecap posted a message on social media, urging fans to assemble at the Buzz Stage at 23:05 on Monday. 'We will have a message for you,' they teased.
When the time came, a huge crowd – with many waving Palestinian flags - watched a video message play over the big screen.
'Hello Sziget. We hope you're all enjoying the festival and staying safe," the message began. "We wish we could be there with you at one of the best festivals in the world and the first European festival Kneecap ever played. We can't because of one hate filled man. Viktor Orbán.'
This was met with boos and chants of 'f*ck Orbán.'
The message continued: 'We have been convicted of zero crimes in any country ever. But we will call out oppression. For calling out Israel's genocidal campaign Viktor has banned us from your beautiful country for 3 years. Israel is committing a genocide against the Palestinian people. Viktor Orbán and his government support it. Viktor Orbán and his government tried to shut down Pride in Budapest. They failed. We must stand together."
The broadcast ended with: "Oppose Orbán. Oppose Israel. Oppose genocide. Free Palestine.'
Watch the moment below:
Here is the full video posted on Kneecap's Instagram:
Une publication partagée par KNEECAP (@kneecap32)
The band has denied accusations of anti-Semitism, claiming that those attacking the band 'weaponize' the false accusation to 'distract, confuse, and provide cover for genocide.'
Undeterred by accusations, Kneecap has repeatedly used their platform at various music festivals to speak out not against the Jewish people but against Israel's war in Gaza.
They did so at Coachella – where they denounced the US government's funding of 'war criminal Israel'; at Best Kept Secret - where the pre-show screening denounces the 'Israeli genocide and the Western media's cover-up"; at Glastonbury – where their controversial set alongside Bob Vylan launched a police investigation; and most recently during their set at Øyafestivalen in Oslo.
Several festivals have cancelled Kneecap shows – including Germany's Hurricane and Southside festivals, and it was recently announced that the band's upcoming gig in Vienna on 1 September has been cancelled 'due to acute safety concerns', following political pressure from Austria's far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ).
While Hungarian audiences were deprived of Kneecap, many other festivals are sticking with the band – including the upcoming Green Man Festival in Wales. The band has more than forty concerts remaining on its calendar for this year – including dates in Sweden, Norway, Finland, France and Belgium – and then a US leg which kicks off in October.
Since Hamas' attack on Israeli citizens on October 7, 2023, multiple UN human rights experts have stated that Israel's military actions in Gaza amount to genocide, with the International Court of Justice finding claims of genocide plausible.
Israel has rejected the genocide accusations and maintain that its operations are lawful acts of self-defence. Claims that Kneecap has vocally rebuked. And continue to do so - whether they are kept on the festival line-up or no.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
LeMonde
an hour ago
- LeMonde
In Israel, the far right seeks to approve a settlement project that would split the West Bank in two
Israel's Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a member of the nationalist and religious far right, made no secret of his satisfaction − or his intentions − as he announced on Thursday, August 14, the approval of a strategic Jewish settlement project East of Jerusalem, in the West Bank. The project, he claims, will "bury the idea of a Palestinian state." The territory has been illegally occupied by Israel since 1967. The consequences of this announcement, if carried out, would be dramatic: With this settlement of 3,000 housing units, known by the code name E1 and located in the city of Ma'ale Adumim, the already fragmented West Bank would be split in two, making the creation of a viable Palestinian state almost impossible. "These are illegal decisions and proposals and we hope that the world community will never allow Israel to force its laws on the Palestinian land," responded the Palestinian Authority. The Israeli NGO Peace Now condemned the plan, calling it "deadly for the future of Israel and for any chance of achieving a peaceful two-state solution." The announcement sparked outrage among Arab countries.
Euronews
5 hours ago
- Euronews
Trump: Zelenskyy, European leaders to attend talks after Putin meeting
ADVERTISEMENT Hours before departing for his meeting with Vladimir Putin, US President Donald Trump said he expected the summit will be a "good meeting," but added that it won't be the most important round of peace talks. "The second meeting will be more important," Trump said, adding that he expects it to include Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and "possibly someone from Europe," in addition to Trump and Putin. Donald Trump previously that he would want the second meeting to take place as soon as possible after the Alaska summit. "I'd like to see it happen very quickly after this meeting. I'd like to see it actually happen maybe in Alaska, where we just stay, because it's so much easier," he said. On Thursday Trump described the upcoming Alaska talks as "setting the table for the second meeting" which would include Putin and Zelenskyy. "We are going to have the second meeting if the first one goes well," Trump said. When asked if a meeting with Putin can be perceived as a "reward," Trump categorically denied it. "President Putin would like to have a deal," Trump said stating that "Without me he would take over all of Ukraine. But I am president and he is not going to mess with me." It is the first time the US president has suggested that European leaders might be invited to the second meeting. Trump has said repeatedly he wouldn't have allowed the conflict to start if he had been in office and on the presidential campaign trail said more than once he could end the wat within a day. Since returning to office, Trump has criticised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, saying he should have made a deal with Putin to avoid the conflict. But more recently he appears to be growing impatient with Putin, criticising him for launching strikes on civilian targets in Ukraine and warning of "severe consequences" if he doesn't stop the war after Friday's talks in Alaska. Talks with Europe On Thursday a virtual summit took place initiated by the leaders of Ukraine and Germany in an effort to remind the world of one of Kyiv's main diplomatic principles: "Nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine." Following the call with Trump and European leaders, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the top priority both for Wednesday's talks and Friday's summit is a ceasefire, a sentiment that, according to Zelenskyy, Trump agreed with. "We talked about ceasefire today. President Trump said this is one of his priorities in conversation with President Putin," Zelenskyy said after the call during a joint press conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. "I very much hope that some agreement will be reached, because so far all the talks held with ended only with him increasing military presence, intensifying attacks." According to Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz, European leaders were jointly trying to steer the Alaska meeting between Trump and Putin "in the right direction."
LeMonde
7 hours ago
- LeMonde
Trump warns Alaska summit with Putin has '25 percent chance' of failing
US President Donald Trump on Thursday, August 14, acknowledged his high-stakes summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin may fail, and said any Ukraine deal would come through a future three-way meeting with Kyiv to "divvy things up." Putin flies to Alaska on Friday at the invitation of Trump on his first visit to a Western country since he ordered the 2022 invasion of Ukraine that has killed tens of thousands of people. The Kremlin said that the two presidents planned to meet one-on-one, heightening fears by European leaders that Putin will cajole Trump into a settlement imposed on Ukraine. Trump, on the eve of the summit, insisted that he would not finalize any deal with Putin and that he would include Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in any decisions. "This meeting sets up the second meeting, but there is a 25 percent chance that this meeting will not be a successful meeting," Trump told Fox News Radio. "The second meeting is going to be very, very important, because that's going to be a meeting where they make a deal. And I don't want to use the word 'divvy' things up. But you know, to a certain extent, it's not a bad term," Trump said. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said any future deal needed to ensure Ukraine's security. "To achieve peace, I think we all recognize that there will have to be some conversation about security guarantees," Rubio told reporters in Washington, saying he was "hopeful" about the summit. Shifting tone Trump had boasted that he could end the war within 24 hours of returning to the White House in January. But his calls to Putin – and intense pressure on Zelensky to accept concessions – have failed to move the Russian leader and Trump has warned of "very severe consequences" if Putin keeps snubbing his overtures. Putin on Thursday welcomed US efforts to end the conflict and said that talks could also help yield an agreement on nuclear arms control. "The US administration... is making quite energetic and sincere efforts to end the fighting," Putin told a meeting of top officials in Moscow. The talks are set to begin at 11:30 am (1930 GMT) Friday at the Elmendorf Air Force Base, a major US military installation in Alaska that has been crucial in monitoring Russia. "This conversation will take place in a one-on-one format, naturally with the participation of interpreters," Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters in Moscow. He said that delegations would continue discussions over a working lunch and that Putin and Trump would hold a joint news conference. The White House has not confirmed any plans for a joint press appearance. Zelensky, who will not attend Friday's summit in Alaska, met Thursday with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, after talks a day earlier in Berlin. Starmer greeted the Ukrainian leader with a warm hug and handshake on the steps of his Downing Street residence and later voiced solidarity. European leaders expressed relief after a call with Trump on Wednesday, saying he appeared focused on a ceasefire rather than concessions by Ukraine.
