A cup of 40,000 euros. The city of Saint-Cloud (Hauts de Seine) has decided to withdraw its rock subsidy at Seine Festival (August 20-24, 2025) due to the participation of the Northern Ireland group Kneecap, committed to the Palestinian cause and accused of supporting Hezbollah.
“This amount had been adopted before the final program of the festival,” the city said in a statement published on its site on Wednesday, July 16.
Now Mo Chara, the artistic name of Liam O’Hanna (Liam Og or Hannaidh in Gaelic), a member of this pro-palestinian rappers trio that must occur on August 24 in Paris, is remarkably accused of having worn a Hezbollah flag during a concert.
It appeared in June for “terrorist crime” before a court in the United Kingdom, where the Pro-Iranian Islamist movement is a classified terrorist. He is also criticized for shouted “Go to Hamas! Go to Hezbollah!” At the end of his appearance, Mo Chara left. The next hearing is scheduled for August 20.
No negotiation
The municipality “does not finance the action, nor the political statements and even less incentives for violence, as can be called parliamentarians, whatever its nationality,” continues the municipality, referring to the apology that the group had recently had after the dissemination of a video dating from 2023 to show one of its members who request the death of British conservative deputies.
The city of Saint-Cloud did not want to initiate any negotiation “with rock in Seine because” respects the freedom of programming of the festival, “adds the press release, which specifies that the vote for the withdrawal of this subsidy dates from July 3.
Questioned by AFP, the director of the Mathieu Ducos festival did not want to comment. The festival budget, according to him, is estimated at around 17 million euros.
“Political decision
Kneecap, Belfast Punk Energy Group, recruits in English and Irish and claims its commitment to the strong and clear Palestinian cause. The trio denied any support for Hezbollah, denouncing a “political” decision.
After his performance at the famous Glastonbury Festival (United Kingdom) at the end of June, the British police opened an investigation into Kneecap’s words, which accused Israel of being a “war criminal” state, and in those of another group.
Since the rapper was accused, the trio has been eliminated from the programming of a series of summer concerts, especially in Scotland and Germany. In France, it must act significantly in Charleville-Mézières (Ardennes) on August 17.
Source: BFM TV
