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The contentious Belfast rap group Kneecap will still take the stage at the 2025 Glastonbury music festival in the U.K., as organizers announced on Tuesday.
Kneecap’s appearance at Glastonbury on the West Holts Stage on June 28 comes despite political pressure to remove them following a terror offense charge against member Liam Óg Ó Hannaidh after an incident on November 21 at a North London venue.
The band, consisting of Naoise Ó Cairealláin and J.J. Ó Dochartaigh, has faced significant backlash and scrutiny from the Metropolitan Police due to videos that allegedly show them calling for the deaths of British parliament ministers and chanting “up Hamas, up Hezbollah.”
In the U.K., it is illegal to express support for Hezbollah, classified as a terrorist organization. Moreover, during their Coachella performance in April, Kneecap conveyed political messages regarding the ongoing Gaza conflict, leading to the cancellation of several concerts in Germany.
In response to the backlash, Kneecap apologized to the families of murdered MPs, asserting that they have encountered “deliberate distortions and falsehoods,” and denied any support for Hamas or Hezbollah.
While Glastonbury has kept Kneecap on its lineup, the group was removed from Scotland’s TRNSMT festival for a July 11 show due to police safety concerns. “Given the safety concerns raised by the Police about the event, Kneecap can no longer perform at TRNSMT,” the group posted on X.
Kneecap has also scheduled a replacement concert at the O2 Academy in Glasgow for July 8, which has already sold out. Glastonbury, occurring from June 25 to 29 at Worthy Farm in Somerset, enjoys extensive coverage across the BBC’s radio and television services.
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