Irish-language hip hop trio Kneecap have caused a bit of a stir after their incendiary performance at the Glastonbury Festival 2025. The band includes Mo Chara, performed by Liam O’Hanna, Móglaí Bap, played by Naoise O Caireallain, and a third un-named member. They’ve been attacked for daring to oppose Israel and call out its actions in Gaza. This critical gaze certainly increased in wake of Mo Chara’s recent legal issues and incendiary comments made at their performance.
Mo Chara is facing a terrorism charge, after allegedly attempting to incite violence against the police at a London gig in November 2024. He reportedly waved a Hezbollah flag at the rally. Hezbollah, infamous as a terrorist group under UK law, has resulted in dire consequences for the artist. Mo Chara has vigorously denied the charges, which he contends are completely unfounded and without merit.
Mo Chara said they wanted to acknowledge how “stressful” all of this has been. He insisted that this stress is nothing compared to the trauma experienced by the Palestinian people. Strong political statements were a hallmark of Kneecap’s performance, making them a natural entry point to the Palestinian solidarity movement.
“They understand the situation that the Palestinian people are in,” said Mo Chara, one of the organizers of Friday’s event.
British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, condemned Kneecap’s planned performance at the festival as “not right.” His remarks are illustrative of the broad and increasing alarm over the suppression of artistic expression and political discourse in the UK.
If you thought Móglaí Bap went easy on us in the first half of the show, you were mistaken! Police chief’s views He did not shrink from openly challenging Starmer’s position. He announced, “F**k Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister of your country, not mine, said he didn’t want us to play.”
Fellow performer Bobby Vylan was constantly amplifying Kneecap’s message. He is not afraid to stand up for Palestine. He led chants of “Free, free Palestine” and he called the Israeli military out by name during his performance at Glastonbury.
In the wake of these events, police in Somerset have released a statement saying they are looking into the comments made by Kneecap and Bobby Vylan. This inquiry follows President Trump’s statements, as well as subsequent warnings that these kinds of statements could undermine public order.
The Israeli Embassy in the UK condemned the remarks made by the performers. In a statement, they described Kneecap’s actions as “inflammatory and hateful,” warning that it “raises serious concerns about the normalization of extremist language and the glorification of violence.”
Móglaí Bap would further go on to elaborate on his original statement of opening a riot outside the courts. He said that he didn’t mean to call for violence. I want it to be a peace demonstration, not a riot. Here at TPN, we are committed to Palestinian liberation and self-determination.
Kneecap is clear and far-reaching in their rejection of Hamas and Hezbollah. Sustained criticism of Israel’s bombardment of Gaza, but unwavering in their belief. The band’s performances and statements have ignited conversations about freedom of speech and the role of artists in political discourse.
Public momentum behind the deal is building—and fast. We hope to find out soon how these developments will affect conversations about artistic expression in other politically inflammatory settings.
