Irish rap group Kneecap are set to perform at France’s Rock en Seine festival on Sunday despite fierce opposition from Jewish organisations and government officials, after one of its members was charged in Britain for displaying Hezbollah’s flag during a concert.
The trio from Northern Ireland, known for mixing Irish republican themes with outspoken support for the Palestinian cause, are scheduled to play in Saint-Cloud outside Paris. The group has often turned its performances into political stages, sharply criticising Israel’s atrocities in Gaza and around Palestine.
In May, band member Liam O’Hanna, 27 — who performs as Mo Chara — was charged in England with supporting a banned organisation after waving Hezbollah’s flag at a London gig last November. At Glastonbury in June, under close scrutiny, he declared: “Israel are war criminals.”
Kneecap were later barred from entering Hungary to play at the Sziget Festival, with authorities there citing security concerns.
Objections in France
The controversy has spilled over to France. Saint-Cloud’s municipality withdrew its $47,000 subsidy for Rock en Seine, while the wider Ile-de-France region cancelled its funding for the 2025 edition after organisers refused to drop Kneecap from the lineup. Festival director Matthieu Ducos, however, said he was confident the group would perform “in the correct manner.”
The festival’s overall $16–17 million budget means the loss of public subsidies will not threaten its viability. Kneecap have already played two other major festivals in France this summer, in Belfort and Charleville-Mezieres, without incident.
Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau urged vigilance, warning that authorities would monitor for “any comments of an antisemitic nature, apology for terrorism or incitement to hatred.”
