Rap group Kneecap banned from Hungary before festival

BUDAPEST (Reuters) -Hungary has banned Irish rap group Kneecap from entering the country to perform at a music festival, accusing the band of using antisemitic hate speech and praising Palestinian militant group Hamas, a government spokesperson said on Thursday.

Belfast-based Kneecap, who regularly display pro-Palestinian messages during their gigs, have caused controversy elsewhere, including in June at Glastonbury Festival in southwest England where their frontman - known by the stage name Mo Chara - accused Israel of committing war crimes. Israel has denied such accusations.

"Hungary's government has moved to ban Kneecap from entering the country and performing at Sziget (Festival) ... citing antisemitic hate speech and open praise for Hamas and Hezbollah as justification," government spokesperson Zoltan Kovacs wrote on X.

Kovacs later posted official letters from immigration authorities banning the band for three years and saying their entry would "seriously threaten national security".

In May, Mo Chara was charged with a terrorism offence in Britain for allegedly displaying a flag in support of Iran-backed Hezbollah. He denies the offence.

In a post on X critical of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and what it called his "authoritarian government", Kneecap said the decision to ban them was outrageous and a political distraction.

"There is no legal basis for his actions, no member of Kneecap has ever been convicted of any crime in any country," they said.

The band has said previously that its members do not support Hamas or Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, and that it condemns "all attacks on civilians, always".

Hungary's government had previously asked festival organisers to drop Kneecap from the line-up at the week-long event, which draws several hundred thousand music lovers to an island in the River Danube each year.

More than 150 artists and cultural figures, including Academy Award-winning director Laszlo Nemes Jeles, had signed a petition protesting against Kneecap's planned performance on August 11.

The festival organisers issued a statement calling the government's ban "an unprecedented move which we believe is both unnecessary and regrettable".

"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," they said.

Performers at this year's festival include Post Malone, Shawn Mendes and Charli XCX.

(Reporting by Anita Komuves and Krisztina Than;Editing by Helen Popper and Timothy Heritage)