Irish Band Charged with Supporting Hezbollah to Perform in France
Controversial Irish rap group Kneecap's scheduled performance at Rock en Seine festival draws condemnation from French Jewish organizations amid Hezbollah support allegations.
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Despite facing charges in the United Kingdom for allegedly supporting Hezbollah, Irish rap group Kneecap is set to perform at the Rock en Seine festival in Saint-Cloud, Paris, later today — sparking sharp condemnation from French Jewish organizations and government officials.
The municipality of Saint-Cloud has withdrawn its €40,000 subsidy for the festival, and the wider Île-de-France region has also canceled its funding for the 2025 edition. Officials took the step after organizers refused to remove the band from the lineup, with their performance scheduled for 16:30 GMT.
“We are confident that the group will perform in the correct manner,” Matthieu Ducos, director of Rock en Seine, told AFP, asserting that the festival itself remains financially secure despite the funding cuts, with a total budget of €16–17 million this year.
Controversial history and accusations
Singer Liam O’Hanna, 27, who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, was charged in the UK in May after allegedly displaying a Hezbollah flag at a London concert in November. Videos circulating online purportedly show the band shouting slogans such as “Up Hamas, up Hezbollah” and calling for violence against British lawmakers.
The group’s name references the “kneecapping” punishment attacks carried out by Irish Republicans during Northern Ireland’s Troubles.
Outrage from Jewish leaders
Yonathan Arfi, president of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions of France (CRIF), condemned the planned concert as “desecrating the memory of the 50 French victims of Hamas on October 7, as well as all the French victims of Hezbollah,” and called for the performance to be canceled.
Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau emphasized that authorities would monitor the festival closely for “any comments of an antisemitic nature, apology for terrorism or incitement to hatred.”
The concert comes amid heightened concern over antisemitism in France following the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, which sparked the ongoing war in Gaza.