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Johnny Marr Defends Kneecap Amid Calls for Censorship at Glastonbury: ‘Oppression Fears Artistic Expression’

Johnny Marr has defended Kneecap amid calls for Glastonbury to censor their upcoming set following the Irish band's comments on Palestine.

In a statement posted to Instagram on Monday (June 16), the former Smiths guitarist wrote that he feels it’s important to make his “own position clear” after “learning that calls have been made for Kneecap to be censored during their Glastonbury set.” Born Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, Mo Chara was charged in May for allegedly showing support for militant organizations Hamas and Hezbollah — both of which are defined as terror groups by U.K. law — in newly surfaced videos from a past concert. Kneecap has argued that the video was taken out of context, and in a statement posted in May, the bandmates slammed the terrorism charge as a “carnival of distraction” from what they see as the real issue at hand: “Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people.

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