Kneecap to Remain Part of BBC’s Glastonbury Festival Coverage

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) will not remove Northern Irish hip-hop trio Kneecap from their coverage of this month’s Glastonbury Festival, the broadcaster has announced.

The English festival – which takes place from June 25-29 – will feature the controversial Belfast outfit performing on the West Holts stage on Saturday, June 28. Their inclusion on the lineup comes following calls for the group to be removed in the wake of member Mo Chara, born Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, being charged with a terrorism offense by London’s Metropolitan Police.

Ó hAnnaidh was investigated and subsequently charged 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. Ó hAnnaidh is due to appear in the Westminster Magistrates’ Court on June 18.

Despite politicians throughout the U.K. writing to organizers of festivals which have booked the band, the group remain on the final lineup for Glastonbury this month, though were recently removed from Scotland’s TRNSMT festival this July following safety concerns from law enforcement.

The announcement of Glastonbury’s final lineup also coincides with the BBC’s plans to air artists’ sets, with the broadcaster telling British publication The i Paper that Kneecap’s performance will be included as part of their coverage.

“As the broadcast partner, the BBC will be bringing audiences extensive music coverage from Glastonbury, with artists booked by the festival organisers,” a spokesperson said. “Whilst the BBC doesn’t ban artists, our plans will ensure that our programming will meet our editorial guidelines. Decisions about our broadcast output will be made in the lead up to the festival.”

However, it was noted that all performances aired on the BBC must meet their editorial guidelines, indicating that “unjustifiably offensive language” will likely be excised. Similarly, the broadcaster’s responsibility to air a broad range of opinions so as not to be seen endorsing specific campaigns means that some aspects of the band’s live show may also be removed ahead of airing.

In April, Kneecap made global headlines following their appearance at the Coachella festival where they projected strong anti-Israel sentiments during their set – sentiments which they had claimed were censored during their first weekend appearance.

“Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people,” the projected messages read. “It is being enabled by the U.S. government who arm and fund Israel despite their war crimes. F–k Israel; free Palestine.”

Despite apparent attempts to censor the band or hinder any of their successes, Kneecap this week announced their biggest-ever English show, with a huge headline date at London’s OVO Wembley Arena set for September.