Jeremy Corbyn’s Peace and Justice Project has published a statement backing Kneecap’s right to continue playing at Glastonbury, despite the ongoing anti-terror police investigation. Taking to X on Thursday, Mr Corbyn’s organisation claimed Kneecap’s political views, including supporting Hamas and Hezbollah, are “irrelevant” to the question of whether they have a right to perform.

The Peace and Justice Project tweeted: “This past week has seen a clear, concerted attempt to censor and ultimately deplatform @KNEECAPCEOL. In a democracy, no political figures or political parties should have the right to dictate who does and does not play at music festivals or gigs. The question of agreeing with KNEECAP’s political views is irrelevant: it is in the key interests of every artist that all creative expression be protected in a society that values culture, and that this interference campaign is condemned and ridiculed.”

Mr Corbyn previously commended the band as “inspiring” in 2023.

His ongoing support for the band comes after Labour MP David Taylor asked whether he would apologise for his previous close association with the group.

Mr Taylor said in Parliament: “Yesterday I wrote to Glastonbury Festival asking them to remove this music group from their lineup.

“They have allegedly called for the murder of Conservative colleagues in this House, and because we’ve seen the footage of them appearing to show support for Hezbollah and Hamas, including the waving of a flag of the proscribed organisation.

“Words, as others have said, have tragic consequences, and beloved colleagues Jo Cox and Sir David Amess were tragically murdered.

“June 16, 2016 [the day Jo Cox was murdered] remains one of the worst days of my life.

“We all have a duty to prevent this ever happening again … May I also ask if [the minister] agrees with me that whilst there is a police investigation, iTunes, Spotify, YouTube and others should strongly consider taking their music off their platform until that investigation is over.

“May I also note the absence of the member for Islington North [Jeremy Corbyn], who is not involved in this discussion?

“And will he join me in condemning his appearance in a photograph with that group, and calling for him to apologise for appearing in a photo with that group?”

Despite four days of outrage following the revealed comments by Kneecap, Glastonbury is yet to comment.

Among those condemning the band’s comments is Katie Amess, the daughter of Sir David Amess – the MP who was brutally stabbed to death in his Southend constituency in 2021.

She told the BBC that she was “absolutely gobsmacked at the stupidity of somebody or a group of people being in the public eye and saying such dangerous, violent rhetoric”.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman has also condemned the band’s comments as “completely unacceptable”, while the footage is now being assessed by counter-terrorism police.