The Kneecap saga is getting bigger by the day — and now it’s taken a more serious new turn.
Following a recent counter terrorism investigation into Kneecap, several UK politicians have since called for the Irish rap trio to be removed from the lineup’s of several high profile festivals including Glastonbury and TRNSMT.
The calls come after it recently emerged that counter terrorism police in the UK are investigating footage which shows a band member shouting “Up Hamas, Up Hezbollah.” As we all know, both Hamas and Hezbollah are considered terror organisations. Furthermore, it is also an offence under the Terrorism Act 2000 to “invite support” for such an organisation.
It has also since emerged that police are also investigating a second video from a Kneecap gig in November 2023 where one of the members calls for the death of Conservative MP’s. “The only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your local MP” a member of the group reportedly says at the gig.
Several MP’s have taken particular offence at the groups statements. This is largely due to two MP’s being murdered in the past 10 years. Namely: Labour’s Jo Cox in 2016 and Conservative David Amess in 2021.
The Jo Cox Foundation, which was set up after Cox’s death, has now issued a statement about Kneecap. “The footage that has emerged from the Kneecap gig clearly crosses a line. It is completely unacceptable and we unequivocally condemn it” the statement reads.
Since then, pressure on festival organisers has ramped up. Labour MP David Taylor shared a letter he sent to Glastonbury organiser Michael Eavis, arguing Kneecap’s actions “go beyond the realm of legitimate political expression and into the territory of inciting violence and promoting extremism.” Scotland’s First Minister, John Swinney, has also publicly urged TRNSMT to drop the group from its 2025 lineup.
Kneecap, for their part, have been under fire from all directions — including death threats, as their manager confirmed on Irish radio, and calls from Sharon Osbourne for their US visas to be revoked.
In a new statement recently posted to Instagram, Kneecap hit back. “Let us be unequivocal: we do not, and have never, supported Hamas or Hezbollah. We condemn all attacks on civilians, always. It is never okay,” they wrote.
They also issued heartfelt apologies to the families of Jo Cox and David Amess. But pointedly added: “The real crimes are not in our performances; the real crimes are the silence and complicity of those in power.”
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