Kneecap ignites Glastonbury with anti-Starmer, pro-Palestine set amid censorship and political backlash

Irish rap trio Kneecap delivered a charged performance on Saturday at the Glastonbury Festival, using their biggest career stage to date to address ongoing legal issues, U.K. politics, and the war in Gaza. Their set on the West Holts stage drew a massive crowd, reaching capacity nearly an hour before showtime, but was notably absent from the BBC’s live coverage, an omission that did not go unremarked during the performance.

Throughout their energetic set, Kneecap led the crowd in chants of “F**k Keir Starmer” and “Free Palestine,” drawing thunderous support from the ocean of festivalgoers waving Palestinian and Irish flags. Member Móglaí Bap referenced fellow member Mo Chara’s current legal case in the U.K., where he is facing terrorism-related charges stemming from a video allegedly showing him displaying a Hezbollah flag and chanting support for banned groups. “It’s not the first time there was a miscarriage of justice for an Irish person in the British justice system,” said Bap, to loud cheers.

Festivalgoers watch hip hop trio Kneecap perform during the Glastonbury Festival
| Photo Credit:
AP

While Kneecap did not explicitly address the BBC’s decision to exclude their set from the live broadcast, Mo Chara pointedly commented, “The BBC editor is going to have some f**king job,” acknowledging the strong political visuals from the audience.

The performance comes just weeks after the group made headlines at Coachella for displaying messages condemning Israeli military action in Gaza and U.S. support for it. Those actions contributed to increased scrutiny in the U.K., leading to Mo Chara’s court appearance on June 18. Despite the charges, he was granted bail, allowing the group to perform at Glastonbury. The next court date is set for August 20.

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer weighed in ahead of the festival, telling The Sun he didn’t think it was “appropriate” for the band to appear, adding that “threats shouldn’t be made.” In response, Kneecap posted on Instagram, “You know what’s ‘not appropriate’ Keir?! Arming a f**king genocide.”

Other political figures, including Conservative MP Kemi Badenoch, also called on the BBC to withhold coverage of Kneecap’s performance. “As a publicly funded platform, the BBC should not be rewarding extremism,” Badenoch wrote. The BBC, in a statement, noted that its coverage would adhere to editorial standards and that programming decisions would be made accordingly.

Despite the backlash, Kneecap found strong support within the music community. Artists like Johnny Marr and Massive Attack defended their right to use the stage as a platform for political expression. Marr, writing on social media, stated, “Oppression fears artistic expression… I respect all musicians who use their platform to speak out against injustice.”

During their set, band member DJ Próvaí told the crowd, “We understand colonialism and we understand how important it is to support each other internationally,” before leading chants of “Free, free Palestine.”

Kneecap also voiced support for the activist group Palestine Action, which the U.K. government is moving to classify as a terror organization. The group recently gained attention after its members vandalised military aircraft at an RAF base in protest against U.K. arms sales to Israel.