Kneecap To Perform in Paris Today Despite Protests
Jewish organizations and the local government protested at the Rock en Seine music festival’s decision not to bar the Irish rap band despite its open support for terrorism.
Irish rap group Kneecap band member, Liam O’Hanna, who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, looks on outside Westminster Magistrates’ Courts in London on August 20, 2025.
Justin Tallis / AFP
Jewish organizations and the local government protested at the Rock en Seine music festival’s decision not to bar the Irish rap band despite its open support for terrorism.
Local authorities have withdrawn their support for the annual Rock en Seine festival, held in the Saint-Cloud suburb of Paris after organizers refused to remove the band from the lineup. Kneecap is scheduled to perform in the afternoon of Sunday, August 24th.
In response to the scheduled performance, the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions in France (CRIF) called for the concert’s cancellation. Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau announced that the event would be closely monitored for “any antisemitic remarks, glorification of terrorism, or incitement to hatred.”
Known for its sharp criticism of Israel and pro-Palestinian stance, the band has turned its concerts into politically charged events.
One member, 27-year-old Liam O’Hanna, was charged in the UK in May for displaying the flag of terrorist group Hezbollah during a concert in London last November. In June, he publicly declared, “Israel is a war criminal.”
In August, the band was barred from performing at the Sziget Festival in Budapest after Hungarian authorities denied them entry to the country due to “antisemitic hate speech and open praise for Hamas and Hezbollah.”
Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán said the organizers of the Sziget festival should have known better and questioned whether financial gain should have been their number one concern. He stressed that in Hungary, “no one should be verbally attacked.”
