The Hungarian government on Thursday barred provocative Irish rap group Kneecap from entering the country for three years and performing at the upcoming Sziget festival, accusing the band of “antisemitic hate speech”.
The Belfast group has made headlines in recent months after it sharply criticised Israel and its military campaign against the Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza.
Known for their confrontational style and Irish nationalist messaging, the band has denied supporting violence or banned groups.
But their anti-Israel comments on stage at the Glastonbury Festival in June drew global condemnation.
While Kneecap has denied any terrorism connection, singer Liam O’Hanna, known by his stage name Mo Chara, has been charged in the UK with a “terror” offence over alleged support for Hamas and Hezbollah in connection with a performance last year.
He is due to appear in a London court in August.
The rappers have been taken off the bill for festivals in Scotland and Germany this year because of the controversy. However, they are scheduled to appear at France’s Rock en Seine on August 24.
“Hungary’s government has moved to ban @KneecapCEOL from entering the country and performing at @szigetofficial — citing antisemitic hate speech and open praise for Hamas and Hezbollah as justification,” government spokesperson Zoltan Kovacs wrote on X.
“Granting them a stage normalizes hate and terror, and puts democratic values on the line,” Kovacs wrote, citing Hungary’s “duty to protect” its Jewish community. The travel ban can be challenged within 30 days.
Kneecap was scheduled to perform on August 11 at the Sziget festival in Budapest, which ranks among Europe’s largest outdoor music bonanzas, drawing about 400,000 people each year.
The trio denounced the decision by the “authoritarian government of Viktor Orban” on its social media channels as “outrageous”, saying the move had “no legal basis”.
“It’s clear this is a political distraction and a further attempt to silence those who call out genocide against the Palestinian people” Kneecap said on X.
Israeli ambassador to Budapest Maya Kadosh praised the Hungarian government for “its clear stance”.
Festival organisers, however, expressed regret over the “unprecedented move”, warning it could “negatively affect Hungary’s international standing”.
“We believe that cancel culture and cultural boycotts are not the solution,” they said.
Almost 300 Hungarian artists, including Oscar-winning film director Laszlo Nemes, joined a petition earlier protesting the trio’s planned Sziget performance.
Facing growing pressure, festival organiser Tamas Kadar said there was no “good answer” to the issue.
“We do not tolerate hate speech in any form — and that includes antisemitism,” but “we remain committed to the spirit of free expression” and “will not act as censors”, Kadar wrote in an op-ed published last week by a Hungarian newspaper.
Hungary is one of Israel’s closest allies in the European Union, with Prime Minister Viktor Orban directing police to ban pro-Palestinian rallies following the Hamas attack against Israel on October 7, 2023.
