Darren Millar calls for Kneecap to be pulled from Green Man lineup

Stephen Price

Leader of the Welsh Conservatives, Darren Millar MS, has demanded answers from the Chair and Managing Director of the Green Man Festival Fiona Stewart over whether the festival will still provide a platform to Belfast rap trio Kneecap following a member of the group being charged with terror-related offences.

Liam Og O hAnnaidh, who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, was charged under the name Liam O’Hanna over the alleged displaying of a flag in support of Hezbollah at a gig at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town, north London, on November 21 last year.

Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Tourism, Sport, and North Wales, Gareth Davies MS, wrote to the organisers of the festival on 28 April 2025, requesting the festival withdraw their invitation to Kneecap to perform following a video recording showing a member of the group stating “The only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your local MP.”

In his letter, which has not received a response from the festival organisers, Mr Davies said “associating the festival with such rhetoric risks damaging its reputation, heightening community tensions, and sends the message that individuals who advocate violence are welcome in Wales.”

Commenting, Leader of the Welsh Conservatives, Darren Millar MS said: “It’s completely unacceptable that the Green Man Festival has yet to respond to my colleague’s request for Kneecap to be removed from the lineup, their silence speaks volumes.

“This is a group that has openly called for the killing of MPs, and now one of its members faces serious terror-related charges linked to a proscribed organisation.

“The festival previously acted swiftly to drop Meic Stevens over anti-Muslim remarks, yet they seem prepared to turn a blind eye in this far more serious case.

“Green Man must be consistent in its values and withdraw Kneecap from the programme immediately. Anything less undermines the festival’s credibility and risks endorsing extremism.”

“Political policing”

Kneecap have said the charging of one of their members with a terror offence in the UK is “political policing” and a “carnival of distraction”.

In a statement on X, the group said: “14,000 babies are about to die of starvation in Gaza, with food sent by the world sitting on the other side of a wall, and once again the British establishment is focused on us.

“We deny this ‘offence’ and will vehemently defend ourselves, this is political policing, this is a carnival of distraction.

“We are not the story, genocide is, as they profit from genocide, they use an ‘anti-terror law’ against us for displaying a flag thrown on stage. A charge not serious enough to even warrant their crown court, instead a court that doesn’t have a jury. What’s the objective?

“To restrict our ability to travel. To prevent us speaking to young people across the world. To silence voices of compassion. To prosecute artists who dare speak out.”

The band continued: “Instead of defending innocent people, or the principles of international law they claim to uphold, the powerful in Britain have abetted slaughter and famine in Gaza, just as they did in Ireland for centuries. Then, like now, they claim justification.

“The IDF units they arm and fly spy plane missions for are the real terrorists, the whole world can see it.

“WE STAND PROUDLY WITH THE PEOPLE. YOU STAND COMPLICIT WITH THE WAR CRIMINALS. WE ARE ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF HISTORY. YOU ARE NOT. WE WILL FIGHT YOU IN YOUR COURT. WE WILL WIN. FREE PALESTINE.”

Charges

O hAnnaidh, 27, of Belfast, was charged by postal requisition and is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on June 18, the Metropolitan Police said.

Officers from the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command were made aware on April 22 of an online video from the event, police said.

An investigation led to the Crown Prosecution Service authorising the charge.

Earlier this month, the Metropolitan Police said Kneecap were being investigated by counter-terrorism police after videos emerged allegedly showing the band calling for the deaths of MPs and shouting “up Hamas, up Hezbollah”.

The rap artists have had gigs cancelled after the footage emerged, but are still listed to headline Friday’s Wide Awake day festival in Brixton’s Brockwell Park, as well as the Green Man near Crickhowell.

The group apologised last month to the families of murdered MPs but said footage of the incident had been “exploited and weaponised”.

They also said they have “never supported” Hamas or Hezbollah, which are banned in the UK.

Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has called for Kneecap to be banned while other politicians pushed for the group to be dropped from the Glastonbury Festival line-up.

In 2024, the band released an eponymous film starring Oscar-nominated actor Michael Fassbender which is a fictionalised retelling of how the band came together and follows the Belfast group on their mission to save their mother tongue through music.

Formed in 2017, the group, made up of O hAnnaidh, Naoise O Caireallain and JJ O Dochartaigh, are known for their provocative lyrics and merchandise as well as their championing of the Irish language, and their best-known tracks include Get Your Brits Out, Better Way To Live and 3Cag.

Largest festival in Wales

Now entering its third decade, Green Man is the largest festival in Wales, an award-winning seven-day event that attracts 25,000 daily visitors from across the world to the breathtaking Bannau Brycheiniog.

The Green Man experience spans music, comedy, literature, film, performance and installation art, wellness, science, as well as specific areas for both children and teens, its own Welsh Beer Festival showcasing the best independent Brewers in Wales. It was the first UK festival to sell out for the 2025 season, which it did in minutes without any line-up announced.

Green Man is one of the three remaining large independent festivals in the UK. It generates £28 million into the Welsh economy, and is the only large UK festival where a woman has controlling ownership.

The organisers of the Green Man Festival have been invited to comment.