One of France's largest and most well-liked music events takes place annually at the Domaine National de Saint-Cloud, located west of Paris, during the month of August.
Rock en Seinedraws over 150,000 attendees annually, and this year's event includes major acts such asChappell Roan, Fontaines D.C., Queens of the Stone Age and Doechii, one main act is already causing controversy.
The rap group Kneecap remains in the lineup for this year's event, which runs from August 20 to 24, and has affected the festival.
Certainly, Rock en Seine has unexpectedly faced a budget reduction of €40,000 – a choice made by the Saint-Cloud municipal council due to the inclusion of the Northern Irish band.
Scheduled for Sunday, August 24, the Kneecap are recognized for theirsupport for the Palestinian movement through voiceand has faced the British legal system over what the band described as a "trumped up terrorism charge”.
One of the group's members, Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, is charged withshowing a flag in support of the banned group Hezbollahat a London concert last year. He wasreleased on unconditional bailfollowing the hearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court in London last month.
Their controversial Glastonbury set, along with Bob Vylan’s, hasserious issues in the UK.
The mayor of Saint-Cloud, Éric Berdoati, cast a vote to revoke the funding, stating: "We support cultural projects, not political ones. When they no longer align with our goals, we cease financial support."
Nevertheless, Rock en Seine has chosen not to be deterred by any political influence and has kept the Kneecap performance.
When we coded them last autumn, they weren't the center of attention, except forgood reasons," says festival director Mathieu Ducos, who emphasizes the importance of keeping positive ties with the town of Saint-Cloud.
"I hope the history we've managed to create and combine doesn't conclude with this conflict and our perspective on this group," Ducos adds.
The €40,000 from Saint-Cloud is unlikely to significantly impact the budget, since Rock en Seine's budget for this year has been reported at approximately €17 million, with 3% coming from grants.
The exclusion, a first for the festival since it began in 2003, followed Valérie Pécresse, head of the Île-de-France region, expressing on X in May that Kneecap "should be removed from existing French music festivals" due to ongoing legal cases in the UK.
On the other hand, French politician Xavier Brunschvicg (Parti Radcal de Gauche) stated that Kneecap's behavior and statements were primarily due to the Northern Irish group "taking a stance against the events occurring in Gaza."
From his perspective, Éric Berdoati was "yielding to a social pressure from his most conservative supporters."
Several musicians have shown support for Kneecap, such as Brian Eno, Fontaines D.C., and Pulp. Theysigned an open letterdenouncing a "clear, coordinated effort to suppress and eventually remove" Kneecap and standing against "the political suppression of creative expression."
The message states: "As creators, we believe it is necessary to express our dissent against any political suppression of artistic liberty."
In a democratic system, no political leaders or parties should be allowed to decide who can and cannot perform at music festivals or events that attract thousands of attendees.
The Rock en Seine festival will be held at Domaine National de Saint-Cloud from August 20 to August 24, 2025.