Northern Irish rap trio Kneecap wore pro-Palestinian badges during an appearance on Ireland's "Late Late Show" on Friday night despite agreeing not to wear them before the show, according to RTÉ.
Kneecap members Mo Chara and Móglaí Bap sported Palestinian emblems during an interview with host Patrick Kielty on Friday, one week after members of Irish Women in Harmony were prevented from wearing pro-Palestinian badges during an appearance on the same show.
The Journal reports that Kneecap's managers informed Late Late Show producers that the trio intended to wear pro-Palestinian badges during their appearance on the show.
In a statement released to the outlet, RTÉ said producers informed Kneecap that their appearance would have to be canceled if they didn't agree to not wear the badges.
The statement added that Kneecap subsequently agreed not to wear the badges during their appearance.
"However, during the live performance and the subsequent interview, the band chose not to comply with that agreement. They put badges on and revealed that one band member was wearing a Palestinian football jersey," RTÉ said in a statement released to the TheJournal.ie.
The statement added that RTÉ applied the journalism and content guidelines to Kneecap as it did to the performers from Women in Harmony a week earlier.
RTÉ said there is a risk of "unplanned programming" with live performances and interviews, adding that "adapted" filming took place during Kneecap's appearance. The broadcaster said host Patrick Kielty addressed the pro-Palestinian badges and clothing to provide "context and balance" to the issue.
Kneecap performed their new single "Better Way to Live" on Friday's show, with members Mo Chara and Móglaí Bap wearing Palestinian-colored badges during the performance.
In the subsequent interview with Kielty, Kneecap's DJ Próvaí removed his jacket to reveal a Palestinian soccer jersey.
Kielty noted the "costume change" and said he was obliged to state that RTÉ's thoughts are with everyone affected by the conflict.
"Some horrific stuff is happening there. I’m also obliged to say that in politics, there’s another side and some people might not agree with what you’ve done," Kielty told Kneecap.
Móglaí Bap responded that the group wanted to "highlight the genocide that’s happening in Palestine at the moment", stating that over 30,000 Palestinians have been killed by "American weapons" in the conflict.
He added that many of the people killed in Palestine have been women and children, prompting a round of applause from the audience.
He concluded by stating that the group wanted to use its platform to encourage Irish people to attend pro-Palestinian rallies and show solidarity with Palestine.
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