Hungary invokes national safety and forbids a band to sing at the Sziget festival to enter the country
Moglai Bap (left) and Mo Chara, two of the 3 members of the Irish band Kneecap, photo: Justin Ng / Alamy / Profimedia Images
Hungarian authorities forbade the Irish rap band Kneecap from entering the country to play the Sziget festival, accusing the formation of using anti -Semitic speeches in hatred and would praise terrorist groups on Thursday a government spokesman quoted by Reuters.
The Kneecap band, originally from Belfast, which frequently displays pro-Palestinian messages during concerts, has aroused controversy in other months, including at the Glastonbury Festival, where the soloist Liam ónaidh-more known as Mora-has accused Israel to commit some war crimes.
“The Hungarian government has taken the measure of prohibiting the access of the Kneecap band on the territory of the country and its participation in Sziget … invoking as a justification of anti-Semitic speeches in hatred and open praises brought to Hamas and Hezbollah organizations,” wrote the government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs in a distributed message “.
Hungary says that the presence of the band at the concert would “seriously” endanger national security
Subsequently, Kovacs published the official letters issued by the immigration authorities, which require the band an entry prohibition on the Hungarian territory valid for three years, arguing that their presence would “seriously endanger national security”.
In May, Mora was charged in the UK for a crime related to terrorism, after displaying a flag in support of Hezbollah, a group supported by Iran. It rejects the accusation.
The representatives of the Kneecap band did not respond immediately to the comment requests. Previously, the band said that its members do not support Hamas nor Hezbollah, and condemn “any attack on civilians, always.”
The Hungarian government had already demanded the festival organizers to eliminate Kneecap from the one -week event program, which attracts several hundred thousand music lovers on an island on the Danube every year.
The presence of Kneecap at the Sziget Festival was also criticized by members of the Civil Society of Hungary
Over 150 artists and cultural figures, including the laureate director of the Oscar László Nemes Jeles, also signed a petition against the participation of the Kneecap band.
The organizers of Sziget, who stated that they were not informed about the Government's decision, resisted the pressures to cancel the band's concert scheduled on August 11th.
“Our festival remains faithful to the principles that we have consistently respected for over 30 years: there is no room for hatred, instigation, prejudices or any form of racism or anti-Semitism,” they said in a statement last week.
Among the other artists to climb the Sziget stage this year are Post Malone, Shawn Mendes and Charli XCX.
