Kneecap ‘hopeful’ their US visa won’t get revoked after terror charge

Irish rap group Kneecap have opened up about the prospect of future shows in the US following calls to axe their Glastonbury set.

Kneecap made pro-Palestine statements at Coachella in April this year, causing critics like Sharon Osbourne to slam their set for ‘promoting terrorist organisations or spreading hate’.

Soon after, resurfaced footage of a 2024 Kneecap gig in London saw band member Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh charged with a terror offence for allegedly displaying a flag in support of Hezbollah. 

Though the musician was released on bail, the band has had various performances cancelled, including TRNSMT festival in Glasgow, Hurricane and Southside festivals in Germany, and the Eden Project in Cornwall.

But the band – which also includes Naoise Ó Cairealláin and JJ Ó Dochartaigh – are ‘hopeful’ their US visas won’t be revoked so they can perform across the pond.

‘Maybe visas get revoked, you’re not allowed in America again, it’s not ideal – but Jesus Christ, there’s people being bombed from the f*****g skies, and people being starved to death,’ Ó hAnnaidh told the Guardian.

‘We’re in the process [of applying for new visas], hopefully it works. But if it doesn’t, I can go about my day without having to worry about my next meal or my family being bombed. Visa revoked, I can get over.’

The musician, also known as Mo Chara, didn’t express any regret over the resurfaced videos, reiterating that the members of Kneecap play characters and their antics onstage are ‘a f*****g joke.’

‘It’s a joke. I’m a character. S**t is thrown on stage all the time. If I’m supposed to know every f*****g thing that’s thrown on stage,’ he said.

He continued: ‘I don’t know every proscribed organisation – I’ve got enough s**t to worry about up there. I’m thinking about my next lyric, my next joke, the next drop of a beat.’

‘The point is, that wasn’t an issue until we said “Free Palestine” at Coachella,’ he explained.

‘That stuff happened 18 months ago, and nobody batted an eyelid. Everybody agreed it was a f*****g joke, even people that may have been in the room that didn’t agree – it’s a laugh, we’re all having a bit of craic.

‘The point is, and the context is, it all [resurfaced] because of Coachella. That’s what we should be questioning, not whether I regret things.’

It comes after Glastonbury organiser Emily Eavis spoke out against calls to axe Kneecap’s set at the festival, scheduled for Saturday on the West Holts Stage.

When asked how she responds to the Prime Minister’s comments that it would ‘not be appropriate’ for the band to perform, she said: ‘We haven’t responded to that. At the moment we’re just focusing on bringing the best festival to the people who want to come here.

‘We’re incredibly lucky that so many people want to come to Glastonbury, we have millions of people who want to come.’

The interviewer followed up, insisting: ‘But it’s quite a thing for the prime minister to comment, how did you react? How did you feel?’

‘I know, it is, there have been a lot of really heated topics this year, but we remain a platform for many, many artists from all over the world and, you know, everyone is welcome here,’ she said in response.

Kneecap replied to the Prime Minister’s comments as well, writing on social media: ‘You know what’s “not appropriate” Keir?! Arming a f*****g genocide… solidarity with [Palestinian Action].’

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