Irish rap group Kneecap has cancelled its upcoming US tour, including a New York rooftop show, after one of its members was charged in the United Kingdom with supporting terrorism.
The Belfast-based group announced it would cancel 15 scheduled tour dates, set to begin on 1 October, as Liam Ó hAnnaidh—who performs under the stage name Mo Chara—prepares to attend a London court hearing in late September. Ó hAnnaidh was charged under Britain’s Terrorism Act for waving Hezbollah’s flag during a performance while shouting: ‘Up Hamas! Up Hezbollah!’
Kneecap also made headlines in Hungary in late July, when the government banned the group from entering the country ahead of a planned show at the Sziget Festival in Budapest. The Hungarian authorities argued that band members had repeatedly engaged in ‘antisemitic hate speech supporting terrorism and terrorist groups’. On 24 July, a decree banned all three members of Kneecap from Hungary for three years. The government cited its zero-tolerance policy on antisemitism, stressing its duty to protect Jewish communities in the country.
Sziget Festival organizers condemned the decision, calling it ‘unprecedented, unnecessary and regrettable’. They stressed their commitment to artistic freedom and said Kneecap had assured them their performance would not violate Hungarian law or festival values.
The band has denied the allegations, insisting that no member has ever been convicted of any crime. They described the ban as political censorship designed to silence voices highlighting alleged genocide against Palestinians. Kneecap also criticized Prime Minister Viktor Orbán for hosting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calling the government’s actions hypocritical.
The group has similarly framed the current UK proceedings as a ‘witch-hunt’ by the British government. ‘With every show fully sold out, to tens of thousands of fans, this is news we are sad to deliver,’ they said in a statement on social media.
Kneecap has long courted controversy for its stance on the Israel–Palestine conflict. Just one day after Hamas’s 7 October 2023 massacre, the group openly celebrated its support for the ‘Palestinian struggle’, performing before a backdrop reading: ‘F**k Israel Free Palestine’. At this year’s Coachella Festival, they repeated the message while accusing Israel of committing genocide.
Reacting to news of the cancelled US tour, Bryan Leib, Senior Fellow at the Budapest-based Center for Fundamental Rights, praised Hungary’s moral stance in banning Kneecap. ‘Hungary continues to punch well above their weight class,’ he said, adding that the group’s cancellation was also linked to the ‘President Trump effect’.
Following Hungary’s move, Austria and Germany likewise cancelled multiple Kneecap shows, citing security concerns. Nevertheless, the band remains scheduled to perform in several European countries in September, including the Netherlands, Denmark, and France.
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