Johnny Marr is standing behind Kneecap, even as some are calling for the Irish band to be censored at Glastonbury in light of their past politically charged concerts and recent legal trouble.
In a statement posted to Instagram on Monday (June 16), the former Smiths guitarist wrote that he feels it’s important to make his “own position clear” after “learning that calls have been made for Kneecap to be censored during their Glastonbury set.”
“I’ve played Glastonbury many times and the festival has always had a political aspect,” he continued. “It was founded as a place of free expression and political activism and it’s a fact that I agreed to play there with the Smiths in 1984 purely because to do so at the time was a political act.
“Oppression fears artistic expression,” Marr added. “I respect all musicians who use their platform to speak out against injustice, who promote compassion and equality and give voice to the voiceless. I stand with my audience and fellow musicians who call for an immediate end to the atrocities and a free Palestine.”
The post comes about a week and a half after the BBC confirmed that it would not remove Kneecap from its Glastonbury lineup. The hip-hop trio will perform at the festival as planned on June 28, despite concerns over member Mo Chara recently being charged with a terrorism offense by London police.
Born Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, Mo Chara was charged in May for allegedly showing support for militant organizations Hamas and Hezbollah — both of which are defined as terror groups by U.K. law — in newly surfaced videos from a past concert. He is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Friday (June 18).
Kneecap has argued that the video was taken out of context, and in a statement posted in May, the bandmates slammed the terrorism charge as a “carnival of distraction” from what they see as the real issue at hand: “Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people. It is being enabled by the U.S. government who arm and fund Israel despite their war crimes.”
Even so, Kneecap was recently removed from Scotland’s July music festival TRNSMT, with organizers citing safety concerns. Mo Chara’s terrorism charge is just the latest controversy the band has faced in recent months, with Kneecap also facing backlash for displaying pro-Palestine messaging during its Coachella set and for allegedly calling for the death of British Parliament members at a concert. The trio apologized for the latter in April, denying any intention of inciting “violence against any MP or individual.”
See Marr’s full statement below.
