TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The legendary British music festival, Glastonbury, was in the spotlight over the weekend not only for its music, but also for the strong pro-Palestine messages that echoed on stage and among the tens of thousands of spectators.
As reported by The Times of Israel and Arab News, Irish rap group Kneecap and other musicians led pro-Palestine chants and expressed condemnation against Israel in front of the cheering crowd at the world-famous event.
The Irish rap group Kneecap performed in front of tens of thousands of people at the Glastonbury Festival on Saturday, leading the crowd in chanting "Free Palestine" and "F*** Keir Starmer."
The latter expletive was thrown after the British Prime Minister said that it was "not appropriate" for the trio to perform at the festival, considering the terrorism charges faced by one of its members.
The group has been making headlines in recent months for their pro-Palestine and anti-Israel stance.
Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, who goes by the stage name Mo Chara, has been charged under the UK Terrorism Act. He is accused of supporting a proscribed organization after allegedly waving a Hezbollah flag and shouting "up Hamas, up Hezbollah," at a concert in London in November.
The rapper, who was charged with the English version of his name, Liam O'Hanna, was released on unconditional bail ahead of further court proceedings in August.
At least 30,000 people, hundreds of whom carried Palestinian flags, filled the West Holts stage under the scorching sun to watch the trio perform on Saturday, causing the committee to close the area.
"Glastonbury, I am a free man," said Ó hAnnaidh.
The Belfast trio opened their performance with a montage of news audio clips referring to criticisms and legal troubles faced by the band.
During the performance, band members led the audience in chanting "Free Palestine" and "Free Mo Chara," and shouted curses at Starmer.
"The Prime Minister of your country, not mine, said he didn't want us to play, so f*** Keir Starmer," said Ó hAnnaidh, who was wearing a traditional Palestinian keffiyeh scarf.
Ó hAnnaidh also paid tribute to the Palestine Action Group, which Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced last week would be proscribed under the 2000 Terrorism Act.
Another member of Kneecap, DJ Provai, wore a shirt dedicated to the anti-Israel campaign group, whose activities have been under scrutiny after its activists breached the UK Royal Air Force base and damaged two planes.
Prior to Kneecap's appearance, pro-Palestine chants were also led by rap punk duo Bob Vylan. They led the crowd in chanting "Death, death to the IDF."
"Yes, from the river to the sea, Palestine will, shall, be free," said the duo's singer, Bobby Vylan, who only uses his stage name.
Throughout their performance, the duo displayed a large message on stage, which read: "Free Palestine. The United Nations calls it genocide. The BBC calls it a 'conflict.'"
The performance was broadcast live by the BBC, the UK public broadcaster, but was not available for replay on the BBC iPlayer.
The decision to remove the show from the BBC streaming service was welcomed by UK Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy. She demanded "urgent explanations" from the BBC regarding the reasons the show was not vetted before the live broadcast.
They stated that during the performance, "warnings were issued on screen about the very strong and discriminatory language." They added that there were "no plans" to make the show available for replay on iPlayer.
Unlike Bob Vylan, Kneecap's performance was censored by the BBC, deemed non-neutral and using offensive language.
In a statement, the company said, "Whilst the BBC doesn't ban artists, our plans ensure that our programming meets our editorial guidelines."
It was said that the performance may be available on demand thereafter.
Acting as a subordinate to the pro-Israel UK government, the Avon and Somerset Police said they are investigating the comments made on stage by Bob Vylan and Kneecap.
"Video evidence will be assessed by officers to determine whether any offenses may have been committed that would require a criminal investigation," they said.
Since Ó hAnnaidh's indictment, the group has been pulled from a series of summer performances, including appearances at a festival in Scotland and various shows in Germany.
However, Glastonbury organizers stood against Starmer, standing firm on the decision to bring Kneecap on stage.
"People that don't agree with the politics of the event can go somewhere else," said Michael Eavis, one of the festival's founders, in an article published in a free newspaper for festival-goers.
"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...everyone is welcome here," said Emily Eavis, one of the organizers.
During their one-hour performance, Kneecap thanked both organizers for not bowing to pressure to cancel their performance.
When contacted by the Daily Mail for comment after Saturday's show, the Glastonbury Festival said only that they do not tolerate hate speech or incitement to violence in any form from its performers.
Refusing international calls for a ceasefire, the Israeli military has launched brutal attacks on Gaza since October 2023, killing over 56,400 Palestinian civilians, mostly women and children.
Last November, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over its war in the enclave.
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