Irish rap group Kneecap drew fresh controversy on Sunday during a concert near Paris, repeating slogans against Israel’s war on Hamas despite objections from French Jewish leaders and government officials, AFP reported.
Performing at the Rock en Seine music festival in Saint-Cloud, the Belfast-based trio opened their set by chanting “Free, free Palestine!” before insisting they were not “against Israel.” Members of the crowd waved keffiyehs and Irish flags, while some booed the performance. Security reportedly removed a number of individuals protesting the band’s appearance.
The group’s presence at the festival prompted the municipality of Saint-Cloud to revoke a €40,000 subsidy, while the wider Ile-de-France region, which includes Paris, canceled future funding for the 2025 edition.
Despite the backlash, organizers kept the politically charged group on the lineup.
Kneecap, known for its support of Irish republicanism and Palestinian Arab activism, has repeatedly used its stage to denounce Israel.
In April, the Irish band displayed a large anti-Israel message during its set at Coachella, a music festival held in the California desert.
A series of messages projected behind the band accused Israel of genocide in Gaza and condemned the United States for its support for Israel’s military. The messages concluded with a small phrase on top of a larger one: “F-k Israel. Free Palestine.”
The group made headlines in June at the Glastonbury Festival in the UK when member Mo Chara declared: “Israel are war criminals.”
Mo Chara, whose real name is Liam O’Hanna, is currently facing terrorism-related charges in the UK for allegedly displaying a Hezbollah flag during a London performance in November. Hezbollah is a designated terrorist organization under British law.
The band was barred from performing at Hungary’s Sziget Festival earlier this summer, after being denied entry by Hungarian authorities.
“They are desecrating the memory of the 50 French victims of Hamas on October 7, as well as all the French victims of Hezbollah,” said Yonathan Arfi, president of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions in France (CRIF), who called for the concert to be canceled.
France’s Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau warned that authorities would remain alert to “any comments of an antisemitic nature, apology for terrorism or incitement to hatred” during the event.