Busy day for Ofcom.
The BBC have said that Kneecap’s Glastonbury set will be shown despite political pressure for them to not broadcast it.
It comes after mounting pressure on the broadcaster to not show their performance, most notably from British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Starmer said earlier this week that broadcasting the Belfast trio’s set would not be “appropriate”.
According to the Telegraph, the BBC will broadcast Kneecap’s gig on iPlayer after the live performance, as the BBC has done in the past. This allows the broadcaster to scrutinise the set for any language or imagery that might breach BBC guidelines.
In a statement ahead of Kneecap’s set, the BBC said: “As the broadcast partner, the BBC will be bringing audiences extensive music coverage from Glastonbury, with artists booked by the festival organisers.
“Whilst the BBC doesn’t ban artists, our plans will ensure that our programming will meet our editorial guidelines. Decisions about our output will be made in the lead up to the festival.”
Starmer’s comments and the controversy surrounding the group’s performance come after band member Mo Chara was accused of displaying a flag in support of the proscribed organisation Hezbollah at a London gig.
The 27-year-old was released on unconditional bail on June 18 and will return to court on August 20.
Under the Terrorism Act 2000, displaying an article, such as a flag, in a public place that arouses reasonable suspicion of support for a proscribed organisation like Hezbollah is a criminal offence.
If he’s found guilty, Mo Chara, whose real name is Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, could face up to seven years in prison, a fine, or both.
Kneecap have denied the allegations against them, calling it ‘political policing’ designed to silence their criticism of Israel’s actions in Gaza.
The group say that they do not support Hezbollah or Hamas and claim that the video of the alleged offence has been taken out of context.
Back in April, the livestream of their Coachella performance was cut short after they led a series of anti-Margaret Thatcher chants.
They also dsiplayed messages in support of Palestine during the show.
The fallout from that performance led former X Factor judge Sharon Osbourne to call for their US visa to be revoked.
