Festival organisers say freedom of speech is upheld in Hungary, while the government insists that everyone must obey Hungarian laws—including at Sziget Festival. János Bóka, Hungary’s minister for EU affairs, met personally yesterday with lead organiser Tamás Kádár to discuss the upcoming performance of the Northern Irish group Kneecap, whose appearance has sparked protests—even from British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, albeit unsuccessfully. While Sziget organisers are standing firm, a protest has already taken place at the entrance of the festival grounds on Hajógyári Island.

Sziget promises dialogue but holds its ground

In a Facebook post on Tuesday, Bóka wrote about his meeting with Tamás Kádár, lead organiser of the Sziget Festival, to discuss the performance by the Northern Irish band Kneecap. In his post, Bóka stressed the organisers’ responsibility to uphold and enforce Hungarian laws with due diligence. Both the Federation of Hungarian Jewish Communities (Mazsihisz) and private citizens have previously expressed opposition to the band.

The minister meets with Tamás Kádár:

An estimated 150 demonstrators gathered last Friday afternoon at Hajógyári Island’s entrance, demanding that festival organisers and the Hungarian government cancel the performance. Bóka and Kádár agreed that organisers would engage in dialogue with Hungary’s Jewish community, but it appears the concert will go ahead as planned.

So what’s the controversy with the Northern Irish group? According to Népszava, a 2024 concert video recently resurfaced showing the rappers seemingly praising two terrorist organisations: the Palestinian Hamas and Lebanon’s Hezbollah. The band denies these allegations, claiming the clips were taken out of context as part of a smear campaign. However, they have openly stood in solidarity with Palestinian civilians.

Flag incident sparks police investigation in Great Britain

One of the band’s members, 27-year-old Ó hAnnaidh—who performs under the stage name Mo Chara—was previously detained by British police for allegedly displaying a pro-Hezbollah flag at a London concert. Both Hezbollah and Hamas are designated as terrorist groups in the UK. Kneecap denied any affiliation with these organisations but issued a statement drawing attention to the 14,000 children who are at risk of dying from starvation in Gaza. The group suggested that British lawmakers and law enforcement should focus on that humanitarian crisis instead of targeting artists.

British PM weighs in

British authorities also took interest after claims surfaced that the band had incited fans at live shows to consider violence against certain Members of Parliament. Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned Kneecap’s participation in the Glastonbury Festival this past June, stating it was inappropriate. The BBC notably chose not to broadcast their performance.

Hungarian government slammed Sziget for promoting LGBTQ content before

Sziget has long been Hungary’s flagship music festival, drawing thousands of international visitors with top-tier acts and relatively low costs compared to Western Europe. Two years ago, Interior State Secretary Bence Rétvári criticised Sziget for featuring same-sex couples in a now-deleted promotional video, accusing the festival of spreading so-called “gay propaganda.” Though there were no consequences at the time, Szilárd Demeter—head of the Petőfi Cultural Agency, which owns a significant portion of Hajógyári Island—suggested the government might cease support for the event by revoking use of the venue.

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More news concerning this year’s Sziget Festival.