Irish rap trio Kneecap banned from Hungary as ‘national security threat’ over alleged antisemitism.
Irish rap trio Kneecap won’t be lighting up Budapest’s Sziget Festival this August after Hungary’s government officially barred them from entry for three years—citing national security concerns tied to alleged antisemitic hate speech and support for militant groups.
The group had been slated to close out the festival on August 11 but learned on July 24 that spokesman Zoltán Kovács had posted on X (formerly Twitter) that their planned appearance “posed a national security threat” and violated Hungary’s zero-tolerance policy on antisemitism.
🚫 @KneecapCEOL are officially banned from entering Hungary—for antisemitism and glorifying terror. When hate ignores the mail, we put it on a wall.
— Zoltan Kovacs (@zoltanspox) July 24, 2025
📢 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. pic.twitter.com/K2lJ0L2mi1
Kovács accused Kneecap of “repeatedly engag[ing] in antisemitic hate speech supporting terrorism and terrorist groups,” specifically Hamas and Hezbollah, and warned that any attempt to enter Hungary would result in immediate expulsion under international law.
Festival organizers swiftly expressed regret—calling the ban “unprecedented, unnecessary and regrettable”—while reaffirming their commitment to artistic freedom and insisting Kneecap had agreed to follow all event and legal guidelines.
📢 As I’ve already announced. Here it is, straight from the Government Information Center:
— Zoltan Kovacs (@zoltanspox) July 24, 2025
🚫 @KneecapCEOL’s members repeatedly engage in antisemitic hate speech supporting terrorism and terrorist groups. Hungary has zero tolerance for antisemitism in any form.
❌Their planned…
The band hit back within hours, apologizing to “the tens of thousands of fans we were buzzing to see at Sziget” and calling the ban “f–king outrageous coming from a man who welcomed Netanyahu like a hero just weeks ago”. Kneecap insisted no member has ever been convicted of a crime and framed the government’s move as a political distraction aimed at silencing voices that call out injustices—particularly what they describe as genocide against Palestinians.
This isn’t Kneecap’s first clash with authorities. In April, their projected anti-Israel messages at Coachella stirred controversy, and they were dropped from Scotland’s TRNSMT Festival after similar pro-Palestinian displays.
A message for all who'd hoped to see us on stage at Sziget in 2 weeks👇❤️ pic.twitter.com/JKFuKIkAf4
— KNEECAP (@KNEECAPCEOL) July 24, 2025
Although Avon and Somerset Police investigated their June 28 Glastonbury set, no charges followed. More seriously, member Liam Óg “Mo Chara” Ó hAnnaidh appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on June 18, 2025, charged under the U.K. Terrorism Act for allegedly displaying a Hezbollah flag during a 2024 London concert; he was granted unconditional bail and is next due in court on August 20, 2025.
As festival season heats up, Kneecap’s ban spotlights the fraught line between artistic expression and national security, leaving fans—and organizers—wondering whether music can ever truly be apolitical.
