Glastonbury organiser says Irish band Kneecap ‘welcome’ despite Keir Starmer objections

‘Everyone is welcome here’ organiser Emily Eavis insisted when pressed about the prime minister’s claim that it would not be ‘appropriate’ for the Irish hip-hop trio to perform

Glastonbury co-organiser Emily Eavis has offered her stance on the ongoing debate about Irish trio Kneecap’s scheduled performance at Glastonbury Festival this week.

Bandmate Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, 27, of Belfast, was charged with a terrorism offence under the name Liam O’Hanna after allegedly displaying a flag in support of Hezbollah at a London show last year.

The band – who have publicly spoken out against Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Gaza – recently called the terrorism charge a “distraction”.

Some, including Tory leader Kemi Badenoch, have since called for the band to be pulled from the festival. Prime minister Keir Starmer said this week that their performance would not be “appropriate”.

“You are very used to people picking over every aspect of the lineup but the prime minister got involved this time, saying it wasn’t appropriate for Kneecap to be playing, how have you responded to that?” a BBC Breakfast interviewer asked Eavis on Wednesday (25 June) after she opened the gates to Worthy Farm with her father, Glastonbury founder Michael Eavis.

“We haven’t responded to that,” she answered. “At the moment we’re just focusing on bringing the best festival to the people who want to come here. We’re incredibly lucky that so many people want to come to Glastonbury, we have millions of people who want to come.”

Pushed for her reaction to Starmer’s comments, Eavis insisted: “There have been a lot of really heated topics this year, but we remain a platform for many, many artists from all over the world and, you know, everyone is welcome here.”

Asked by The Sun if he thought Kneecap should perform at Glastonbury, Sir Keir said: “No I don’t, and I think we need to come down really clearly on this.

Kneecap have faced calls to be banned after controversy surrounding their support for Palestine (AFP/Getty)

“This is about the threats that shouldn’t be made. I won’t say too much because there’s a court case on, but I don’t think that’s appropriate.”

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The band are due to perform at the music festival on Saturday (28 June).

Responding to the prime minister’s comments on Saturday evening (21 June), Kneecap wrote on social media: “You know what's ‘not appropriate’ Keir?! Arming a f***ing genocide. F*** The Sun and solidarity with Palestine Action.”

Earlier this week, home secretary Yvette Cooper said she is preparing to proscribe the direct action group, making it a criminal offence to belong to or support Palestine Action, prompting severe backlash from human rights campaigners.

Follow the latest updates from Glastonbury Festival 2025 here.