LONDON, Sept 1 — Irish rap trio Kneecap turned their Reading Festival headline slot into another combustible collision of music and politics, taking aim at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Andy Burnham while voicing solidarity with Palestinians.

According to The Independent UK, rappers Moglai Bap and Mo Chara performed beneath a Palestinian flag draped across the DJ booth, with a stand-in filling in for DJ Provai following the birth of his child.

Between tracks from 2024’s Fine Art, new album FENIAN and earlier releases, the Belfast group repeatedly broke from the music to address the crowd.

“It’s important to us that we use this platform for what we believe to be right, and some people aren’t as f****** lucky right now, and that’s our brothers and sisters in Palestine,” the band told festivalgoers.

“So I just need to take some time to show some solidarity as Irish people; we understand displacement, colonialism and forced starvation of a population that we see right now in Palestine.

“So just remember how lucky we all are to be in a field with all our best f****** mates listening to tunes, and let’s be thinking at the same time about our Palestinian brothers and sisters, so f*** Benjamin Netanyahu, and free, free Palestine!”

Kneecap later shifted their attention to Burnham over his reported comments about Irish reunification, encouraging the crowd to join them in an insult directed at him.

“Andy Burnham said a united Ireland is off the table, so everybody: ‘Andy Burnham’s a wanker,’” they said.

The political interventions were in keeping with Kneecap’s recent festival appearances, where the group have repeatedly spoken about Gaza, Irish republicanism and British politics.

Their Reading set nevertheless remained firmly rooted in the high-impact rap that has driven their rise beyond Belfast. The performance included material from Fine Art as well as songs from their 2018 mixtape 3CAG and the 2019 single Get Your Brits Out.

The trio have also faced scrutiny beyond the stage. Mo Chara, whose real name is Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, was previously accused of displaying a flag in support of the proscribed group Hezbollah during a November 2024 concert at London’s O2 Forum Kentish Town.

The case was thrown out last September after chief magistrate Paul Goldspring ruled that proceedings had been “instituted unlawfully”. A subsequent Crown Prosecution Service appeal was dismissed by two High Court judges in March.