Hungary has barred members of Irish hip-hop group Kneecap from entering the country for three years, citing "repeated anti-Semitic hate speech supporting terrorism." The band was scheduled to appear at the annual Sziget Festival in two weeks.

The Government Information Centre (KTK) said in a statement that allowing the group to perform at the Budapest-based festival would be incompatible with Hungary's "national security interests" and would violate its "zero-tolerance policy towards anti-Semitism."

"If the group attempts to enter the country despite the ban, they will be expelled," the statement added.

Earlier this month EU Affairs Minister Janos Boka in a letter to the organisers of Sziget, Europe's largest music and cultural festival, "drew attention to the "grossly anti-Semitic manifestations" of the hip hop trio, which was the first signal of the government's intervention.

Some 150 artists and intellectuals and religious leaders also filed a petition calling on organisers to cancel Kneecap's performance.

Hungary is home to the European Union's third-largest Jewish community, and Budapest is home to its vast majority, he further noted, adding that he trusted that the festival's organisers shared in the "values and objectives" of the Hungarian government when it came to protecting the Jewish community, Boka argued.

Critics of the ban noted that Hungary is also one of Israel's closest allies within the European Union and has repeatedly vetoed or blocked joint EU statements criticising Israeli actions, particularly those related to the conflict in Gaza and the treatment of Palestinians. Hungary became the first EU member state to open a diplomatic mission in Jerusalem in 2019, widely viewed as a symbolic endorsement of Israel's claim to the city. In a friendly gesture to his close ally, Viktor Orban announced Hungary's exit from the ICC timed for Israeli Prime Minister's official visit to Budapest in April 2025.

Sziget Festival organisers criticised the ban as "unprecedented and unjustified", noting that the band had assured them the planned performance would fully comply with Hungarian legislation and align with the festival's core values.

"Sziget stands firmly against hate speech," organisers said, "but also defends the basic right of artistic expression." They warned the ban could damage the festival's international reputation and Hungary's broader cultural standing. "Cancel culture and cultural boycotts are no solution," the statement read.

Kneecap, a politically outspoken group known for its support of Irish republicanism, has drawn criticism in the past for provocative lyrics and statements on social media.

While festival organisers and free speech advocates expressed concern over government overreach, the decision was welcomed by Mazsihisz, the Federation of Hungarian Jewish Communities. In a statement, the organisation said that "anti-Semitic hate speech and propaganda inciting against Israel has no place in Hungarian public life," and rejected the notion that such content could be justified under the banner of free expression.

Mazsihisz thanked civil society groups, artists and politicians who had voiced opposition to the group's performance. "This is a clear message: Hungary does not tolerate hate, regardless of where it originates," the federation said.

The Irish trio also reacted to the ban, voicing their opinion in a post on X.

"The authoritarian government of Viktor Orban says we "pose a national security threat" which is fucking outrageous coming from a man who welcomed Netanyahu, a wanted war criminal...There is no legal basis for his actions, no member of Kneecap has ever been convicted of any crime in any country. We stand against all hate crimes and Kneecap champions love and solidarity as well as calling out injustice where we see it...we will fight on for what is right." At the end of their post, they concluded with a "Fuck Viktor Orban".

The prime minister also touched on the ban in his keynote address on Saturday calling the Kneecap an “anti-Semitic and terrorist-glorifying rock band”

It was important that Hungary was "an island of freedom and peace in a world that has turned upside-down", and that no one could be assaulted either physically or verbally for their heritage or faith, he added.