Glastonbury 2025: Emily Eavis addresses Kneecap controversy
Glastonbury Festival organiser Emily Eavis has backed Irish hip-hop trio Kneecap ahead of their performance, after Prime Minister Keir Starmer called for a ban on their set.
The group are set to play on Saturday, despite an ongoing terror offence against member Mo Chara after he was charged in relation to a video from their November 2024 concert in London.
When Starmer was asked if their set should go ahead in light of the controversy, the Prime Minister answered, “No, I don’t, and I think we need to come down really clearly on this. 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.”
The leader of the Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch, agreed with this stance from her competitor. She wrote on X: “Conservative party leader, Kemi Badenoch, has agreed with this sentiment, posting on X: “The BBC should not be showing Kneecap propaganda. One Kneecap band member is currently on bail, charged under the Terrorism Act. As a publicly funded platform, the BBC should not be rewarding extremism.”
Emily, whose father, Michael Eavis, hosted the first iteration of the festival, disagrees with Starmer. “There have been a lot of very heated topics this year, but we remain a platform for many, many artists from all over the world,” she explained on BBC News. “Everyone is welcome here.”
Last week, hundreds of protestors congregated outside of Westminster Magistrates Court to support Chara ahead of a hearing. The rapper has been released on unconditional bail and will next appear in court on August 20th.
Following the hearing, fellow bandmate Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh spoke outside the court to the crowds that gathered alongside his Kneecap bandmates while draped in a keffiyeh. He also looked ahead to Glastonbury, stating, “For anybody going to Glastonbury, you can see us there”, before adding, “If you can’t be there, we’ll be on the BBC, if anybody watches the BBC.”
Kneecap will perform on the West Holts Stage at Glastonbury Festival on June 28th at 4pm. As it stands, the set will also be streamed on BBC iPlayer.
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