The politically-charged situation surrounding Northern Irish rap band Kneecap continues, as British police said today that counterterrorism detectives will investigate comments made about the Middle East and British politics.
As reported earlier this week, one of these videos appears to show a band member shouting “Up Hamas, up Hezbollah”, while the other allegedly shows the group calling for the deaths of Conversative MPs.
London’s Metropolitan Police force said the videos “were referred to the Counter Terrorism internet Referral Unit for assessment by specialist officers, who have determined there are grounds for further investigation into potential offenses linked to both videos.”
“The investigation is now being carried out by officers from the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command and inquiries remain ongoing at this time,” the force said in a statement.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has called for Kneecap to face prosecution over the two videos.
The Belfast trio, known for satirical lyrics and on-stage provocations, apologised earlier this week to the daughter of murdered Tory MP Sir David Amess, and have denied supporting either Hamas or Hezbollah. They maintain the comments were taken out of context and that they are victim to a smear campaign.
“Let us be unequivocal: we do not, and have never, supported Hamas or Hezbollah,” Kneecap said in a statement. “We condemn all attacks on civilians, always. It is never okay. We know this more than anyone, given our nation’s history. We also reject any suggestion that we would seek to incite violence against any MP or individual. Ever. An extract of footage, deliberately taken out of all context, is now being exploited and weaponised, as if it were a call to action.”
Regardless, there have been increasing calls for the band to be dropped from summer festival line-ups – including the Glastonbury Festival programme. A handful of the group's gigs have been cancelled already – like the ones in Berlin and at Cornwall's Eden Project.
Now, fellow musicians have come to the rappers’ defense.
Several dozen performers, including British rock group Primal Scream, Irish band Fontaines D.C. and Pulp have signed an open letter criticizing a “clear, concerted attempt to censor and ultimately deplatform” Kneecap and opposing “political repression of artistic freedom.”
The letter reads: "As artists, we feel the need to register our opposition to any political repression of artistic freedom.”
"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 that will be enjoyed by thousands of people."
It also accuses politicians of "strategically concocting moral outrage over the stage utterings of a young punk band" while ignoring a "genocide" in Gaza.
"Kneecap are not the story. Gaza is the story. Genocide is the story," it says. "And the silence, acquiescence and support of those crimes against humanity by the elected British Government is the real story.
"Solidarity with all artists with the moral courage to speak out against Israeli war crimes, and the ongoing persecution and slaughter of the Palestinian people."
Signatories also include Paul Weller, Annie Mac, Blindboy, English Teacher, Enter Shikari, Idles, Shirley Manson, Sleaford Mods, The Pogues and Thin Lizzy.
Iconic trip-hop outfit Massive Attack have also issued a statement on the ongoing controversy, titled “Kneecap are not the story”.
Massive Attack wrote: “If senior politicians can find neither the time, nor the words to condemn, say, the murder of fifteen voluntary aid workers in Gaza, or the illegal starvation of a civilian population as a method of warfare, or the killing of thousands & thousands of children in the same territory, by a state in possession of the highest precision weapons on earth; how much notice should a music festival take of their moral advice on booking performing acts?”
The statement continues: “As a band that has spoken publicly for more than 30 years about the illegal occupation, apartheid system and killing with impunity of thousands of Palestinians, we are hyper aware of the both the human cost of abject political silence, and the commercial implications of publicly expressing solidarity with an oppressed people.”
At the time of writing, the band’s appearances at Glastonbury, TRNSMT and other European festivals remain scheduled.
