Hungary bans Irish rap group from entry over Palestine support

Hungary has banned Irish rap group Kneecap from entering the country to perform at a music festival, accusing the band of using antisemitic hate speech, over the group’s public support for the Palestinians enduring an ongoing genocide in the besieged Gaza Strip, Reuters reported.

In June, Kneecap’s frontman – known by the stage name Mo Chara accused Israel of committing war crimes during Glastonbury Festival in southwest England.

Hungary’s government had previously asked festival organisers to drop Kneecap from the line-up at the week-long event, which draws several hundred thousand music lovers to an island in the River Danube each year.

More than 150 artists and cultural figures, including Academy Award-winning director Laszlo Nemes Jeles, had signed a petition protesting against Kneecap’s planned performance on 11 August.

The festival organisers issued a statement calling the government’s ban “an unprecedented move which we believe is both unnecessary and regrettable”.

“Sziget Festival’s values mean we condemn hate speech, while guaranteeing the fundamental right to artistic freedom of expression for every performer. Cancel culture and cultural boycotts are not the solution,” they said.

In a post on X critical of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and what it called his “authoritarian government”, Kneecap said the decision to ban them was outrageous and a political distraction.

“There is no legal basis for his actions, no member of Kneecap has ever been convicted of any crime in any country,” they said.