Kneecap have been removed from the Sziget Festival lineup after being banned from entering Hungary.
The Irish rap group, known for their outspoken support of Palestine, were scheduled to perform at Sziget Festival on 11 August and are still listed on the event’s website.
However, Hungarian government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs announced on X that the group has been banned from entering the country, claiming its “members repeatedly engage in antisemitic hate speech supporting terrorism and terrorist groups.”
Zoltán then went on to share official letters from immigration authorities banning Kneecap from the country for three years, claiming their entry would “seriously threaten national security.”
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Kneecap have issued their own statement on social media, describing the decision to bar them from entry as “political distraction” and pointed out that none of the group has any criminal convictions.
“To the tens of thousands of fans who we were buzzing to see in person at Sziget, we’re sorry we won’t be with you,” it read.
“The authoritarian government of Viktor Orban say we ‘pose a national security threat’.
“Which is f****** outrageous coming from a man who welcomed Netanyahu, a wanted war criminal, like a hero just a few weeks ago.
“There is no legal basis for his actions, no member of Kneecap has ever been convicted of any crime in any country. We stand against all hate crimes and Kneecap champions love and solidarity as well as calling out injustices whenever we see it,” they added.
“It’s clear that this is political distraction and a further attempt to silence those who call out genocide against the Palestinian people.”
Meanwhile, a spokeswoman for Sziget Festival described the move as “unnecessary and regrettable.”
“Cancel culture and cultural boycotts are not the solution,” she concluded.
