French town cuts funding for music festival due to controversial Kneecap booking

The municipal authority for the Paris suburb of Saint-Cloud has withdrawn a €40,000 subsidy for the Rock-en-Seine music festival in France due to the booking of Belfast rap band Kneecap. The rap trio, known for performing in Irish and English, faced backlash after their Coachella performance in April over comments about Gaza. Several of Kneecap's gigs were cancelled post-Coachella, with UK ministers, including prime minister Keir Starmer, criticizing their appearance at Glastonbury. Kneecap is set to perform on the final day of the Rock-en-Seine festival from August 21st to August 24th. The funding withdrawal was announced on July 3rd by Saint-Cloud city hall, citing a pre-agreed subsidy that did not align with the festival's final line-up. The city hall emphasized its respect for the festival's programming freedom but stated it does not support political actions or calls to violence. Kneecap member Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, also known as Mo Chara, was charged with a terrorism offence in May for allegedly displaying a flag of Hizbullah, a proscribed terrorist group in Britain. The band has denied supporting Hamas or Hizbullah.