Sziget scandal: Minister slams Irish band Kneecap for anti-semitic hate speech

Anti-Semitic hate speech “has no place on the Sziget”, EU affairs minister János Bóka said in a Facebook post on Friday, noting he has written to the organiser of the Sziget Festival, Tamás Kádár, drawing his attention to the “grossly anti-Semitic manifestations” of Irish hip hop trio Kneecap.

“Incitement to violence or hatred against a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group or its members in public is not covered by freedom of expression,” he said, adding that acts of this sort “are subject to strict sanctions under current criminal law”. In Hungary, anti-Semitism is met with zero tolerance, he noted.

Hungary is home to the European Union’s third-largest Jewish community, and Budapest is home to its vast majority, he further noted, adding that he trusted that the festival’s organisers shared in the “values and objectives” of the Hungarian government when it came to protecting the Jewish community.

The scandal was sparked by a member of Kneecap, Mo Chara (Liam O’Hanna), who had to appear in court in London a few days ago for waving a Hezbollah flag at a concert, 24.hu wrote. His support for the banned organisation backed by Iran was enough to bring charges against him for terrorism.

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