Kemi Badenoch has said the BBC “should not be showing” Kneecap’s performance at Glastonbury Festival next week, after one of the group’s members appeared in court
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has slammed the BBC, insisting they “should not be showing” Kneecap’s act at the upcoming Glastonbury Festival.
The 45 year old leader voiced her opinion following a court appearance by Kneecap member Liam Og O hAnnaidh on Wednesday, who faced charges for allegedly waving a flag in support of the banned terrorist group Hezbollah and chanting “up Hamas, up Hezbollah” during a performance last November.
In a fiery X post, accompanied by a Times article suggesting the BBC hadn’t blacklisted the band, Ms Badenoch blasted: “The BBC should not be showing Kneecap propaganda.”
She continued her scathing critique, pointing out: “One Kneecap band member is currently on bail, charged under the Terrorism Act.”
Badenoch, who has previously urged for Kneecap to be barred from Glastonbury, didn’t hold back as she declared: “As a publicly funded platform, the BBC should not be rewarding extremism.”
The Conservative Party’s head honcho had tried to block a £14,250 funding award to Kneecap when she was a minister, a move that backfired when the band won a discrimination lawsuit against the UK Government in Belfast High Court last year.
Kneecap hit back with their latest track, The Recap, which dropped just before their headline gig at London’s Wide Awake festival in May, taking jabs at Ms Badenoch’s failed attempts to cut their arts funding and poking fun at the Tories’ election defeat.
On Wednesday, O hAnnaidh, known by his stage name Mo Chara, was greeted with cheers from hundreds of fans as he and his bandmates Naoise O Caireallain and JJ O Dochartaigh turned up at Westminster Magistrates’ Court sporting “Free Mo Chara” T-shirts.
The court was told that the 27 year old has every right to express his views on Israel and Palestine, but the incident in question at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town, north London, is a separate matter entirely.
O hAnnaidh was granted unconditional bail until his next appearance at the same court on August 20.
Post-hearing, the rapper announced: “For anybody going to Glastonbury, you can see us there at 4pm on the Saturday.
“If you can’t be there we’ll be on the BBC, if anybody watches the BBC. We’ll be at Wembley in September. And let’s not forget: free, free Palestine.”
This follows a counter-terrorism police probe into historical gig footage, which purportedly shows the group inciting violence against MPs. In April, Kneecap issued an apology to the families of slain MPs, claiming the footage had been “exploited and weaponised”.
A BBC spokesperson stated: “As the broadcast partner, the BBC will be bringing audiences extensive music coverage from Glastonbury, with artists booked by the festival organisers.
“Whilst the BBC doesn’t ban artists, our plans will ensure that our programming will meet our editorial guidelines. Decisions about our output will be made in the lead up to the festival.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
