Kneecap accused the Irish government of being “complicit in genocide” over Israeli war bonds at their Electric Picnic set.
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Kneecap played the main stage of the Co Laois festival on Saturday (August 30), with their performance coming only days after festival boss Michael Benn confirmed there would be no censorship of their set, following the intense scrutiny they’ve faced over their critique of Israel and vocal support of Palestine.
Ahead of their afternoon slot, they projected images on screen that read: “Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people,” and “They are now starving the people of Gaza to death.”
Multiple UN human-rights experts and UN bodies have stated that Israel’s military actions in Gaza may amount to genocide, and the International Court of Justice has found claims of genocide plausible.
A recent report by The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), backed by the United Nations, also confirmed earlier this month that famine is taking place in Gaza. It went on to acknowledge that the situation is “entirely man-made”, and aid organisations are also accusing Israel of the “systematic obstruction” of food entering the Gaza Strip.
Strong message from Kneecap at Electric Picnic today! Our state is complicit in apartheid Israel’s crimes against Palestinians, the Central Bank cannot renew its genocide bonds deal. #StopFundingGenocide pic.twitter.com/Too7qojBnZ
— IPSC (@ipsc48) August 30, 2025
Kneecap at Electric Picnic. #FreePalestine #SolidarityIsAVerb 🇵🇸 pic.twitter.com/7FR6EtbFUO
— IPSC (@ipsc48) August 30, 2025
Israel rejects the genocide accusations and denies committing any war crimes, maintaining that its operations are lawful acts of self-defence.
The Irish language rap trio went on to accuse the Irish government of being “complicit in this genocide” because “they facilitate the sale of Israeli war bonds”, showing a message calling for “no more Israeli war bonds”.
After Brexit, Israel chose the Central Bank of Ireland as the designated authority to approve Israel Bonds sold in the EU since it could no longer use the UK, and explicitly markets the state bonds as an opportunity for investors to assist in funding Benjamin Netanyahu’s onslaught on Gaza.
According to its official website, sales of Israel Bonds have surpassed $5.5 million since the October 7 attacks, with Israeli president Isaac Herzog saying they played a “crucial role during this time of conflict”.
Kneecap’s statement follows calls from activists and academics that the Central Bank should refuse re-approval to the bond prospectus on Tuesday (September 2).
Here they are – Kneecap arrive on to the main stage at #ElectricPicnic pic.twitter.com/Q1oi44XXqv
— Laura Donnelly (@LauraDonnelly6) August 30, 2025
Their performance at Electric Picnic came after the band cancelled their sold-out 2025 US headline tour earlier this week, news that came shortly after Mo Chara’s terrorism case was adjourned until next month at his second court hearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London last Wednesday (August 20).
Gigs had been scheduled in New York, Nashville, Washington D.C., Boston, Chicago and other cities across the US throughout October.
The terrorism charges were levelled against him in May for allegedly displaying a Hezbollah flag on stage at a London show last November. The rapper is yet to enter a plea, but has denied any wrongdoing.
Chara (real name Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh) first appeared in court in June, when he was released on unconditional bail.
His lawyers are seeking to throw out the case, arguing that the terror charge against him was brought outside the time limit. They claim that it was brought a day after the six-month limit for such charges.
However, prosecutors say the charge was brought exactly within the required time limit.
Responding to the terror charge in May, Kneecap denied the offence and vowed to “vehemently defend ourselves”. “This is political policing,” they wrote. “This is a carnival of distraction. We are not the story. Genocide is.”
Kneecap recently performed at Rock en Seine, where pro-Israel protestors attempted to disrupt their performance.
Earlier this month, the trio led chants of “fuck KKR” at Øya Festival 2025. KKR is a global investment firm that holds significant investments in companies with ties to Israel amid the country’s ongoing conflict with Palestine. The company owns Superstruct Entertainment which owns and runs many international festivals.
They also condemned the “hate-filled” Hungarian Prime Minister in a video broadcast at Sziget in Budapest.
