Police Scotland issue statement on Kneecap being removed from TRNSMT line-up
Police Scotland have responded to Kneecap’s removal from the TRNSMT festival line-up, amid the controversy which sees the band charged with a terror offence.
On May 28th, it was announced that the Belfast rap trio had been removed from the lineup at this year’s edition of TRNSMT Festival, which is due to take place in Glasgow from July 11th to July 13th. A rise in police concerns about the safety of festival attendees is reportedly the reason for their withdrawal.
Asked for a response and their reasoning, a Police Scotland spokesperson told NME: “Any decision on the line-up at TRNSMT is for the organisers and there was no prior consultation with Police Scotland before acts were booked.
The statement continues: “Officers have highlighted the potential reaction of such a large audience to this band would require a significant policing operation in order to support the delivery of a safe event.”
The decision also came from locals in the area. The statement concluded: “We have also passed on information from the public around safety concerns to allow organisers to make an informed decision on the running of the festival.”
Taking to social media to announce their removal from the line-up, Kneecap offered a replacement show for fans. “To the thousands of people who bought tickets, flights and hotels to see us play, we are sorry… it is out of our hands. Glasgow has always been a huge city for us. We’ve played there many many times, with no issues – ever. Make of that what you will. To try to make up for it, we will be at your O2 Academy on Tuesday July 8th.”
The band have since shared on X that the pre-sale tickets for their new July 8th show sold out in 80 seconds, despite the link only being shared in their WhatsApp channel. This is a “new record” for the band.
Reposting a tweet from BBC Glasgow & West on X, the band also clarified their lack of agency in the TRNSMT removal. Reacting to the language used in a headline, the band wrote, “Kneecap didn’t ‘pull out’ of TRNSMT – Kneecap were removed.”
The group are still scheduled to perform at a number of other festivals this summer, including Glastonbury, which Mo Chara cited as being a major factor in why authorities acted so quickly to charge him, stating during their Wide Awake set, “they are trying to silence us.”
Far Out attended their Wide Awake headline show, deeming it a “triumph”. The trio addressed the London crowd, stating “We are being made an example of, the Israeli lobbyists are trying to prove to other artists ‘that if you speak out, we’re going to hit you where it hurts most. They’re trying to cancel gigs, they trying to cancel my freedom of travel.” This comes after Sharon Osbourne called for their US visas to be revoked following a Coachella set that included “free Palestine” chants.
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