Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has defended his government’s decision to ban the Northern Irish rap group Kneecap from entering Hungary, citing alleged anti-Semitic hate speech and support for terrorism.
The move prevents the group from performing at the prominent Sziget Festival in Budapest this August.
Speaking from Transylvania in a message to the nationalist Warriors’ Club, Orbán declared, “Hateful racists, anti-Semites, and those who support terrorists cannot come to Hungary. We have clear rules.” He also restated his government’s four foundational positions: “No to war. No to immigration. No to gender. And no to hateful racists.”
The Sziget Festival announced the ban in a statement issued on Thursday that read, “This morning, we received official notification that the Hungarian government is denying the band Kneecap entry into Hungary, preventing the band from performing at the Sziget Festival on Aug. 11. This is an unprecedented step that we consider unnecessary and regrettable.”
The decision followed mounting pressure from Hungarian public figures. A petition signed by more than 150 artists and prominent individuals had called for the group’s performance to be cancelled. The band has been under investigation in Britain for allegedly waving a Hezbollah flag and referring to Israel and its allies as “war criminals.” It also found itself in hot water with the Metropolitan Police and counter-terrorism officers after videos emerged allegedly showing them shouting “Up Hamas, up Hezbollah” and “Kill your local MP,” according to The Telegraph.
The Hungarian National Dance Ensemble had reportedly threatened to withdraw from the festival if no action was taken.
Kneecap responded to its entry ban on social media, accusing the Hungarian government of authoritarianism. In a statement posted on their X page, they wrote, “There is no legal basis for Orbán’s actions. No member of Kneecap has ever been guilty of any crime, in any country.” The trio said the ban was an attempt to silence dissent: “We oppose all hate crimes. Kneecap supports love and solidarity and calls attention to injustices wherever we see them.”
They added that Viktor Orbán’s administration was using them as a political distraction, while giving Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “a hero’s welcome.” They concluded their post with a defiant message: “Free Palestine. Tiocfaidh ár lá. Fuck Viktor Orbán.”
The slogan Tiocfaidh ár lá (Irish for “Our day will come”) is closely associated with the Irish Republican Army and is widely understood as a call for the eventual reunification of Ireland. Its use signals Kneecap’s alignment with the nationalist side of Northern Ireland’s political divide, which has historically included support for or sympathy with paramilitary campaigns against British rule.
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