Police Scotland issue statement on Kneecap being kicked off TRNSMT line-up

Police Scotland have spoken out about the reasoning behind Kneecap being removed from the TRNSMT 2025 line-up, after “safety concerns” were said to be behind it.

• READ MORE: Kneecap on the cover – giving peace, protest and partying a chance

Yesterday saw the controversial Belfast rap trio take to social media to revealed that they’d no longer be playing the Scottish festival, and announced a replacement headline gig at Glasgow’s O2 Academy on Tuesday July 8 instead.

“To the thousands of people who bought tickets, flights and hotels to see us play, we are sorry…it is out of our hands,” they wrote. “Glasgow has always been a huge city for us. We’ve played there many many times, with no issues – ever. Make of that what you will.”

Meanwhile, TRNSMT spokesperson told NME: “Due to concerns expressed by the Police about safety at the event, Kneecap will no longer perform at TRNSMT on Friday July 11. We thank fans for their understanding.”

Asked for a response and their reasoning, a Police Scotland spokesperson told NME: “Any decision on the line-up at TRNSMT is for the organisers and there was no prior consultation with Police Scotland before acts were booked.

“Officers have highlighted the potential reaction of such a large audience to this band would require a significant policing operation in order to support the delivery of a safe event.

“We have also passed on information from the public around safety concerns to allow organisers to make an informed decision on the running of the festival.”

TRSNMT will be held at Glasgow Green from July 11-13 with performances from the likes of 50 Cent, Biffy Clyro, Snow Patrol, The Script and Fontaines D.C.

Kneecap headlined Wide Awake Festival in London last week, shortly after a warm up show at the 100 Club in the same city, without any safety issues. 2000trees festival have vowed for their headline set with Kneecap to go ahead in July, promising fans that it will be “monumental”.

During the gig, the band spoke about the controversy following their statements in support of Palestine at Coachella 2025. Following that, counter-terror police began to assess footage from a London performance last November, which led to Mo Chara being charged by the Metropolitan Police with a terror offence.

The charge relates to the musician allegedly displaying a flag in support of proscribed terrorist organisation Hezbollah at a gig last year. The band have denied supporting either Hamas or Hezbollah, and stated that they would not incite or condone violence against any individuals. They have also argued that the footage of the moment had been taken out of context.

Kneecap also described the situation a “carnival of distraction”, and have maintained it was “political policing” and that they were not the story, rather, “Genocide is”.

Mo Chara – real name Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh – is due to appear at Westminster Crown Court on June 18. He encouraged fans to gather at Westminster with “a big bag of ket” for the hearing.

Kneecap’s appearance at TRNSMT is not the only gig they have had cancelled recently, which they acknowledged onstage at Wide Awake. These include Germany’s Hurricane Festival and Southside Festivals, Cornwall’s Eden Project, and a replacement show in Plymouth.

They also referenced how MPs have called to have them removed from the line-ups of other festivals, including TRNSMT, Glastonbury and more.

“They tried to stop this gig,” Kneecap told fans at Wide Awake. “Honestly, lads, you have no idea how close we were to being pulled off this gig.”

In addition, the DUP also encouraged the cancellation of Kneecap’s forthcoming gig with Fontaines D.C. in Belfast, which sold out in 35 minutes.

Last week also saw Kneecap release the bootleg version of politically-charged new single ‘The Recap‘.

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