Belfast, July 24 (RHC)-- Members of the Irish-language rap group Kneecap have been banned from entering Hungary before their scheduled performance at the popular Sziget Festival as authorities argued the musicians’ presence in the country would constitute a risk to national security.

Government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs wrote on X that the decision to ban Naoise O Caireallain, JJ O Dochartaigh and Liam Og OhAnnaidh for three years was due to “antisemitic hate speech and open praise for Hamas and Hezbollah”.

The Belfast trio, scheduled to play on Sziget’s closing day on August 11th, accuse critics of trying to silence the band because of its support for the Palestinian cause throughout Israel’s war in Gaza and say they do not support Hezbollah and Hamas nor condone violence.

The group performed in April at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in California, where they accused Israel of committing genocide against the Palestinians enabled by the US government.

That led to calls for the rappers’ U.S. visas to be revoked, and several Kneecap gigs have since been cancelled as a result.