U.K. Prime Minister on Kneecap’s Glastonbury Set: ‘I Don’t Think That’s Appropriate’

Kneecap’s Glastonbury Festival set is now at the center of a political firestorm, with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer publicly opposing the Northern Irish hip-hop trio’s appearance following terrorism charges against member Mo Chara.

In comments published by The Sun, Starmer said he does not believe Kneecap should perform at the iconic festival on June 28. “No, I don’t, and I think we need to come down really clearly on this,” he said. “This is about the threats that shouldn’t be made. I won’t say too much because there’s a court case on, but I don’t think that’s appropriate.”

Mo Chara, born Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, was last month charged with a terrorism offense by London’s Metropolitan Police after being investigated for allegedly showing support for militant groups Hamas and Hezbollah in historic videos. Both are proscribed as terror groups according to U.K. law, and considered an offense under the Terrorism Act 2000.

Kneecap have denied the allegations, calling the charges a “carnival of distraction” in a statement posted to social media. “We deny this ‘offense’ and will vehemently defend ourselves,” the group said. They added, “British courts have long charged people from the North of Ireland with ‘terrorism’ for crimes never committed. We will fight them. We will win.”

The posters, in Irish flag colors, read “More Blacks, More Dogs, More Irish, Mo Chara” — a provocative reference to anti-Irish and anti-immigrant signage once common in the U.K.

Kneecap’s growing notoriety has drawn attention beyond the courtroom. At Coachella earlier this year, the trio accused organizers of censoring their pro-Palestine messaging during the livestream. They were recently removed from Scotland’s TRNSMT festival due to “police safety concerns,” but their Glastonbury performance remains on the lineup — and the BBC is still planning to air it live.

Conservative party leader Kemi Badenoch joined Starmer in criticizing the group, also taking aim at the BBC. “As a publicly funded platform, the BBC should not be rewarding extremism,” she wrote on social media.

Kneecap, whose debut album Fine Art was released in 2024, have built a reputation for blending satire, politics and Irish identity into a brash hip-hop sound. The controversy around their appearance has turned what might have been a standard festival set into one of Glastonbury’s most politically charged moments in years.