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Belfast-based hip-hop trio Kneecap has made headlines following their August 8 performance at Øyafestivalen in Norway. Before the three band mates began their performance, a message flashed on the screen on the stage, which read:
“Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people. It is being enabled by the Swedish government who arm Israel through Elbit and have defunded Unwra.”
The message further mentioned:
“Over 80,000 people have been murdered by Israel in 21 months. Free Palestine.”
According to Billboard, Kneecap’s Mo Chara, during the performance, said he knew some people might be tired of hearing them talk about the issue, but he wished he didn’t have to keep bringing it up at every performance.
He explained that as long as things didn’t change, the group would keep using the stage to speak out against genocide and war criminals, especially since the audience’s oil fund was being used to support it.
Mo Chara also thanked Øyafestivalen for allowing the band to perform at the festival. However, he criticised the investment firm KKR, saying:
“It’s a disgrace and a shame that KKR is behind all these festivals. No company investing in Israel while they commit war crimes should be involved in and taking part in music festivals.”
Per the outlet, the Irish rapper is facing terrorism charges by the British government for allegedly waving a Hezbollah flag in November 2024. Kneecap subsequently released a statement dismissing claims of supporting Hamas.
During the show, Mo Chara mentioned the charges and said they liked the people of England but did not like the English government.
Why has Kneecap’s performance in Vienna been cancelled?
Kneecap was scheduled to perform in Vienna on September 1, which now stands cancelled. The band shared a message on Instagram, writing:
“‘Due to acute safety concerns on the part of the authorities’, our planned show in Vienna on September 1st is cancelled. This follows the recent cancellation of a screening of our movie as part of the Vienna Cultural Summer due to ‘threats’ and ‘security concerns.’”
Kneecap apologised to the 3,500 people who were supposed to come to their first main show in Vienna, noting that the cancellation was not their decision.
They believed this was another political move to stop people from speaking out about the genocide against Palestinians. They also said they would keep standing up for what was right.
The band came under police scrutiny following the comments they made during their Glastonbury performance. However, according to a report by the BBC, the investigation against them was dropped as there was inadequate evidence against them. The band called it a political move.
Earlier this year, Kneecap was slated to perform in Hungary, but their show was called off. In a statement, the group said that Viktor Orban’s government claimed they were a national security threat.
They explained there was no legal reason for this, as none of them had ever been found guilty of a crime anywhere. Kneecap said they were against hate crimes, supported love and unity, and spoke up against unfairness. They believed this was just a political move to silence people who spoke out about the genocide against Palestinians.
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