Kneecap cannot enter Hungary, and thus will not be performing at the Sziget Festival, the largest music festival in Central Europe, because of antisemitic hate speech and open praise for Hamas and Hezbollah.
International spokesman Zoltán Kovács from the Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister announced that the Hungarian government is banning the band from Hungary. In a post on X, he reiterated that the official message is “zero tolerance for antisemitism” and a duty to protect Hungarian, especially Jewish Hungarian, communities.
The Hungarian government made it clear earlier that festival organizers must ensure compliance with Hungarian law and morally sound programming.
Kovács also drew attention to a form of terrorism lying in protests. He stated that Kneecap has engaged in “support for terror, celebration of extremist violence” and” anti‑Semitic” statements. Kovács added:
Granting them a stage normalizes hate and terror, and puts democratic values on the line.
