Hungarian government bans Kneecap to stop performance at Sziget
Kneecap have been banned from entering Hungary ahead of Sziget festival next month.
As of writing, the group is still listed as performing on the Revolut Stage at the Hungarian festival on August 11th on Sziget’s website. However, the country’s Secretary of State for International Communication, Zoltan Kovacs, has banned the trio for three years.
Kovacs wrote on X on July 24th: “Hungary’s government has moved to ban Kneecap from entering the country and performing at Sziget … citing antisemitic hate speech and open praise for Hamas and Hezbollah as justification.”
The politician also said: “The official message: ‘zero tolerance for antisemitism’ and a duty to protect Hungarian – especially Jewish – communities. The government insists that festival organizers must ensure compliance with Hungarian law and morally sound programming.”
Kovacs then claimed that Kneecap performing at Sziget “normalizes hate and terror, and puts democratic values on the line”.
In another post, Kovacs shared images of the paperwork for each members of Kneecap as well as the caption, “Kneecap are officially banned from entering Hungary—for antisemitism and glorifying terror. When hate ignores the mail, we put it on a wall.”
He added: “This is what we call ‘service by public notice.’ In plain English: if you won’t read the letter, you’ll see it on the poster.”
Kneecap’s Mo Chara was charged in May with a terror offence for waving a Hezbollah flag at a concert and is next scheduled to appear at Westminster Magistrates Court on August 20th. He has also been caught on video chanting, “Up Hamas”, at a live show, which is what Kovacs is referring to in his explanation of the ban.
In April, Kneecap said of the videos that emerged from historic shows: “Let us be unequivocal: we do not, and have never, supported Hamas or Hezbollah. We condemn all attacks on civilians, always. It is never okay. We know this more than anyone, given our nation’s history.”
They added: “We also reject any suggestion that we would seek to incite violence against any MP or individual. Ever. An extract of footage, deliberately taken out of all context, is now being exploited and weaponised, as if it were a call to action.”
Responding to the news of Kneecap’s ban from Hungary, a spokesperson for Sziget said: “At 11:00 a.m. today, we received official notice that the Hungarian Government will deny entry to the band Kneecap into Hungarian territory in order to prevent them performing at Sziget on August 11. This is an unprecedented move which we believe is both unnecessary and regrettable.”
The statement continues: “Following concerns raised by Government and pressure groups across Hungary over the past weeks at the prospect of Kneecap performing, we have liaised closely with the band and they reassured us that their performance would not contravene either Sziget’s values or Hungarian law.”
They added: “Sziget Festival’s values mean we condemn hate speech, while guaranteeing the fundamental right to artistic freedom of expression for every performer. Cancel culture and cultural boycotts are not the solution.”
Reflecting on the festival’s history, they added: “Over the past 30 years, Sziget has served as a free and safe place for different cultures, hosting artists and visitors from around the world , earning significant recognition in the international community and enhancing Hungary’s reputation. We fear that government’s decision announced today to ban Kneecap may not only damage the reputation of Sziget, but also negatively affect Hungary’s standing worldwide.”
The statement concluded: “Sziget Festival will continue to do everything in its power to remain, in every sense, The Island of Freedom.”
The band’s cancellation from Sziget comes after Labour MP Christian Wakeford urged Manchester City Council to remove Kneecap from the line-up of Fontaines DC’s huge Wythenshawe Park concert next month.
Wakeford, who was formerly an MP for the Conservative Party before switching political parties while in office, continued: “The Prime Minister and other senior politicians from across the spectrum were clear that Kneecap’s performance at Glastonbury this year was not appropriate, and that they should not have been allowed to spread their message of hate to tens of thousands of people.”
Kneecap are yet to respond to being banned from Hungary.
This article was updated at 13:15pm on July 24th to include an official statement from Sziget Festival.
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