Irish rap trio and pro-Palestine activists Kneecap launched a direct attack on Prime Minister Keir Starmer during their Glastonbury set on Saturday, with Mo Chara, real name is Liam Og O hAnnaidh, declaring “Palestinian Action isn’t arming Israel. That’s Keir Starmer.”
The band’s criticism of the Prime Minister’s stance on Israel prompted the massive crowd to chant “f*** Keir Starmer” and “Free, Free Palestine” during the West Holts Stage performance..”
Palestinian Action, an activist group that recently damaged two military aircraft, faces potential proscription as a terrorist organisation under government plans.
The trio later reiterated their political stance, telling the crowd: “F***ing love the English people. It’s the English government we don’t like. We’re not far away from a Celtic republic. F*** Keir starmer
BBC Glastonbury: Kneecap’s set kicked off at 4pm on Saturday
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They immediately followed this declaration by performing their controversial early single Get Your Brits Out.
Mo Chara opened the controversial performance by declaring “Glastonbury, I’m a free man!” to the enormous crowd, referencing his unconditional bail following terror charges.
The Belfast trio performed to such massive crowds that Glastonbury organisers closed access to the West Holts Stage area approximately 45 minutes before their 4pm set began.
Festival-goers formed a sea of Irish and Palestinian flags, with Mo Chara himself wrapped in a keffiyeh whilst wearing white, black and green.
BBC Glastonbury: Kneecap’s crowd lifted hundreds of Palestinian flags
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The band roared “Glastonbury, are we ready? We better be ready to go f***ing metal!” as they took the stage, with a huge mosh pit erupting in the centre of the field just three songs into their set.
Their performance began with a montage of news clips featuring politicians calling for the group to be banned from the festival.
The BBC confirmed it would not livestream Kneecap’s set, with a spokesperson stating that whilst they don’t ban artists, their programming must meet editorial guidelines.
The broadcaster indicated it would likely make an on-demand version available on digital platforms later, though it needs to consider the performance before making a final decision.
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Kneecap responded on Instagram by calling the BBC “the propaganda wing of the regime,” adding that the broadcaster “WILL put our set from Glastonbury today on the iPlayer later this evening for your viewing pleasure.”
Mo Chara was charged with allegedly displaying a flag in support of proscribed terrorist organisation Hezbollah whilst saying “up Hamas, up Hezbollah” at a gig in November last year.
Starmer had stated that Kneecap’s Glastonbury performance would not be “appropriate,” with several politicians calling for the group to be removed from the festival line-up.
While the BBC may have decided against streaming the band’s performance, there was controversy elsewhere by their West Holts Stage predecessors, Bob Vylan.
BBC Glastonbury: Kneecap delivered several pro-Palestine slogans during their performance
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The punk group sparked outrage among some watching at home as the lead singer delivered a series of anti-Israel and pro-Palestine chants.
These included “Free, Free Palestine” and “From the River to the Sea”, but arguably the most controversial chant came as Vylan took aim at the Israeli Defence Forces.
“Have you heard this one though… Death, death to the IDF. Death, death to the IDF. Death, death to the IDF,” Vylan yelled as thousands chanted a long.
“Hell yeah, from the river to the sea, Palestine must be, will be – Inshallah – it will be free!”
BBC Glastonbury: The front row of Kneecap’s set all showed solidarity with Palestine Action
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Critics have branded the chants as “totally unacceptable” and described the festival as a “hate-filled cess pit”. However, others have targeted the BBC for having “no idea” what they were doing by banning Kneecap but allowing Vylan to perform.
Inevitably, Vylan also received plenty of support from fellow pro-Palestine supporters at home, creating widespread debate on social media.
