Sziget Festival scandal keeps spinning: banned Irish rap trio sends harsh message to PM Orbán
On Friday morning, the Magyar Nemzet published a lengthy article about the Irish rap trio Kneecap being banned from performing. It later emerged that only the group’s lead singer was barred from entering Hungary for three years. Initially, the Sziget Festival said it had not received official notification, which didn’t arrive until 11 AM. The band has since responded, calling Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s decision outrageous, especially after he welcomed Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, whom they labelled a war criminal. They ended their statement with, “Fuck Viktor Orban.”
The band sends a harsh message to Orbán
According to the Hungarian government, the Kneecap rap trio poses a national security risk, while the band claims that Orbán’s rule is authoritarian. They criticised the ban as outrageous, especially in light of Orbán recently treating Prime Minister Netanyahu with what they called “heroic” honour, even though Netanyahu was declared a war criminal.
The group stressed there is no legal basis for the ban, noting that none of its members have been convicted of any crimes. They stated that they oppose all hate crimes and advocate for love, solidarity, and the fight against injustice.
In their view, the government’s decision is a mere distraction and an attempt to silence voices protesting what they describe as genocide against the Palestinian people. The group also praised Budapest residents for previously standing up against attempts to ban Pride. Their statement concluded with the phrase, “Fuck Viktor Orbán.”
A bejegyzés megtekintése az Instagramon
What would happen if they did appear at the concert after all?
According to information from hvg.hu, the band were coming from Finland. Otherwise, they could enter Hungarian territory unnoticed through Schengen borders, but they would likely be accompanied by police to the border from the concert, as they would be violating the immigration authority’s decision. They could appeal the decision in an administrative court, but the case would not be resolved by the concert date on 11 August.
Mazsihisz, the federation of Jewish communities in Hungary, welcomed the government’s ban. They said “anti-Semitic hate speech and propaganda inciting against Israel has no room in Hungarian public life”, adding that “such content cannot be argued for on the grounds of freedom of speech.”
The Jewish federation thanked the “civil activists, artists, music groups, public figures and politicians” who protested against Kneecap’s appearance in Budapest.
Sziget Festival’s reaction
“At 11:00 AM today, we received official notice that the Hungarian Government will deny entry to the band Kneecap into Hungarian territory in order to prevent them from performing at Sziget on 11 August. This is an unprecedented move which we believe is both unnecessary and regrettable,” the organisers wrote.
“Following concerns raised by government and pressure groups across Hungary over the past weeks at the prospect of Kneecap performing, we have liaised closely with the band, and they reassured us that their performance would not contravene either Sziget’s values or Hungarian law.
Sziget Festival’s values mean we condemn hate speech, while guaranteeing the fundamental right to artistic freedom of expression for every performer. Cancel culture and cultural boycotts are not the solution,” they added.
“Over the past 30 years, Sziget has served as a free and safe place for different cultures, hosting artists and visitors from around the world, earning significant recognition in the international community and enhancing Hungary’s reputation. We fear that the government’s decision announced today to ban Kneecap may not only damage the reputation of Sziget but also negatively affect Hungary’s standing worldwide.
Sziget Festival will continue to do everything in its power to remain, in every sense, The Island of Freedom,” they concluded.
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To read or share this article in Hungarian, click here: Helló Magyar