THE Hungarian government says Irish language rap group Kneecap will be banned from entering the country because they "pose a national security threat".

Kneecap were set to perform at the Sziget Festival on August 11.

In a post on Twitter, Hungarian government spokesperson Zoltán Kovács said: "Kneecap's members repeatedly engage in antisemitic hate speech supporting terrorism and terrorist groups. Hungary has zero tolerance for antisemitism in any form.  

"Their planned performance posed a national security threat, and for this reason, the group has been formally banned from Hungary for three years. If they enter, expulsion will follow under international norms."

Hungary's government had already asked festival organisers to drop Kneecap from the line-up at the week-long event.

More than 150 artists and cultural figures had signed a petition protesting against Kneecap's participation.

Sziget organisers have resisted the calls to scrap Kneecap's planned performance.

"Our festival remains true to what we have consistently achieved over the past 30 years: there is no place for hatred, incitement, prejudice, or any form of racism or antisemitism," they said in a statement last week.

In a statement this afternoon Kneecap hit back at the decision.

"To the tens of thousands of fans who we were buzzing to see in person at Sziget, we're sorry we won't be with you. The authoritarian government of Viktor Orban say we "pose a national security threat".

"Which is f**king outrageous coming from a man who welcomed Netanyahu, a wanted war criminal, like a hero just a few weeks ago."