Kneecap’s Glastonbury Festival appearance sparks political backlash as UK Prime Minister calls set 'inappropriate'

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has weighed in on Kneecap’s scheduled performance at Glastonbury next Saturday, saying the appearance is not “appropriate” in light of ongoing legal proceedings involving one of the group’s members.

In an interview with The Sun, Starmer 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.”

The comments follow a court appearance on Wednesday by Kneecap member Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, also known as Mo Chara, who is facing charges under the Terrorism Act. He allegedly expressed support for Hamas and Hezbollah during a performance last November.

Kemi Badenoch, leader of the Conservative Party, also criticized the group’s involvement with the festival. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), she wrote:

“The BBC should not be showing Kneecap propaganda. One Kneecap band member is currently on bail, charged under the Terrorism Act.”

She added:

“As a publicly funded platform, the BBC should not be rewarding extremism.”

A spokesperson from the BBC responded:

“As the broadcast partner, the BBC will be bringing audiences extensive music coverage from Glastonbury, with artists booked by the festival organisers. Whilst the BBC doesn’t ban artists, our plans will ensure that our programming will meet our editorial guidelines. Decisions about our output will be made in the lead-up to the festival.”

Ó hAnnaidh was granted unconditional bail following his court appearance. Outside Westminster Magistrates Court, he told supporters:

“For anybody going to Glastonbury, you can see us there at 4pm on the Saturday. If you can’t be there we’ll be on the BBC, if anybody watches the BBC. We’ll be at Wembley in September.”

He continued:

“But most importantly: free, free Palestine.”

In a prior statement, the group denied the charge and said:

“We deny this ‘offence’ and will vehemently defend ourselves.”

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Johnny Marr voices support for Kneecap amid Glastonbury censorship debate

Keir Starmer’s comments on Kneecap come after musician Johnny Marr publicly aired his support for the Irish rap group as calls continued for their Glastonbury 2025 performance to be censored or scrapped.

Posting to his X account on June 16, Marr addressed the controversy, writing:

“After learning that calls have been made for Kneecap to be censored during their Glastonbury set, I think it’s important that I make my own position clear.”

He added:

“I’ve played Glastonbury many times and the festival has always had a political aspect.”

Reflecting on his own history with the festival, the Smiths member said:

“It was founded as a place of free expression and political activism and it’s a fact that I agreed to play there with The Smiths in 1984 purely because to do so at the time was a political act.”

“We are living through very troubling times, but for anyone who’s been interested in me or my music over the last 40 years, I feel like my political stance has always been very clear.”

The “How Soon Is Now?” hitmaker further wrote:

“Oppression fears artistic expression. I respect all musicians who use their platform to speak out against injustice, who promote compassion and equality and give voice to the voiceless.”

Concluding his open letter, Johnny Marr expressed solidarity with both his audience and fellow artists advocating for an end to ongoing violence and in support of a free Palestine.