The artist-led film, titled See it. Say it. Censored., comes ahead of the band’s Glastonbury set this weekend.
Today (26 June), Irish rap group Kneecap has shared a short film calling urgent attention to the ongoing genocide in Gaza.
“Please pay attention,” a public service announcement graphic reads in the opening credits.
The band then reads a powerful statement condemning genocide, drawing from sources including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, The Lancet, and multiple UN agencies. On-screen, their words are accompanied by a series of animated illustrations as well as interviews with doctors and activists.
Bringing together the work of visual artists, musicians, filmmakers and producers alongside these interviews, the project represents a joint statement against Israel’s military campaign against Gaza, as well as the international complicity of people and politicians globally.
“Kneecap will not stay silent while Western governments are complicit in genocide. They have made us a target. But they cannot target us all,” reads a statement from the band.
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Kneecap member Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, known by the stage name Mo Chara, is currently facing a charge by the Metropolitan Police under the Terrorism Act, after the 27-year-old allegedly displayed a banned Hezbollah flag during a show at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town on 21 November last year. After being granted unconditional bail by a London court last Wednesday, his hearing date is set for 20 August.
Some public and political figures have since advocated for Kneecap to be removed from the Glastonbury line-up, including Keir Starmer, who called their scheduled appearance “not appropriate”. Others, including Massive Attack, have issued statements in solidarity with the band, while Fontaines D.C., Pulp, IDLES and dozens of others signed a letter from Heavenly Recordings in support of artists’ rights to freedom of expression. “As artists, we feel the need to register our opposition to any political repression of artistic freedom,” it reads.
On-site at Glastonbury yesterday, Emily Eavis confirmed to BBC Breakfast that the festival has not officially responded to these comments, but said that “everyone is welcome here”.
After the band’s first Coachella performance earlier this year in April, Kneecap highlighted that pro-Palestine messaging during their performance was not aired on the festival’s live-stream. “Our messaging on the US-backed genocide in Gaza somehow never appeared on screens,” they said on X. “Back next Friday Coachella and it’ll be sorted.”
When they returned to the Coachella stage the following week, they projected a series of pro-Palestine statements on-screen, including: “Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people.”
Kneecap are set to play Glastonbury’s West Holts stage on Saturday from 4-5pm. It has not been announced whether the BBC will live-stream their performance.
“As the broadcast partner, the BBC will be bringing audiences extensive music coverage from Glastonbury, with artists booked by the festival organisers,” a spokesperson for the broadcaster told The Independent. “Whilst the BBC doesn’t ban artists, our plans will ensure that our programming will meet our editorial guidelines. Decisions about our output will be made in the lead up to the festival.”
Find Kneecap’s film and list of resources here.
