“Any excess will be prosecuted”: Bruno Retailleau warns Kneecap before their appearance at Rock en Seine

" Any excesses will be immediately prosecuted ," warns the Minister of the Interior. The appearance of the Northern Irish trio Kneecap at the Rock en Seine festival on Sunday, August 24, is being closely monitored. Concern is growing over the presence of this pro-Palestinian group , which has been in turmoil in recent weeks. One of the rappers appeared before a London court in June for a "terrorist offense" for waving a flag of the pro-Iranian Hezbollah movement during a London concert in November. Overt support for terrorist organizations is a crime in the United Kingdom, but Mo Chara was released unconditionally in June, at least until August 20, when he is due to appear in court again. In April, they broadcast messages on stage at Coachella accusing Israel of committing " genocide against the Palestinian people." Some MPs fear that history will repeat itself and believe it would be better to cancel the group.

This is the case of Caroline Yadan, MP for the ^8th constituency of French citizens abroad, who submitted her request in writing to Bruno Retailleau, explaining her " concerns regarding compliance with the Republican commitment contract with regard to the positions taken by the said group." The Minister of the Interior was quick to respond, in a letter shared on social media by Caroline Yadan. For the moment, no cancellation is planned. The "request for a ban" is therefore not on the agenda. Bruno Retailleau explains this decision by stating that the group respected its commitments "to good conduct" during their appearance at the Eurockéennes on July 6. The trio had been subject to a " banning procedure ," but was able to go on stage having respected their commitment.

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Although everything went well in early July, Bruno Retailleau nevertheless stated that he was keeping a very close eye on the group. He even asked his " services to be very attentive to their expressions " during their concert, which took place on Sunday, August 17, in Charleville-Mézières. No incidents have been noted so far. The Minister of the Interior took the opportunity to reiterate his "intransigence towards any remarks of an anti-Semitic nature, apology for terrorism, or incitement to hatred, which will be directly prosecuted ."

Kneecap's presence is therefore highly contested. This is why the city of Saint-Cloud, organizer of Rock en Seine, decided a few weeks ago to withdraw its €40,000 grant due to the group's programming at Rock en Seine.