Rap trio Kneecap has apologised to the families of two murdered politicians after a video that appeared to show a member urging support for violence against MPs.
The apologies, to the families of Jo Cox and Sir David Amess, was issued after the band came under fire from Downing Street and Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch over the footage.
Taken at a November 2023 concert, it showed one band member appearing to say: “The only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your local MP.”
Counter-terrorism police are now looking into the matter.
They are also examining a video from another concert, in November 2024, in which a Kneecap member appeared to shout “up Hamas, up Hezbollah”.
Both groups are banned in the UK as terrorist organisations.
KNEECAP STATEMENT:
— KNEECAP (@KNEECAPCEOL) April 28, 2025
They want you to believe words are more harmful than genocide.
Establishment figures, desperate to silence us, have combed through hundreds of hours of footage and interviews, extracting a handful of words from months or years ago to manufacture moral… pic.twitter.com/qZht5532Zf
In a statement apologising to the Cox and Amess families, Kneecap claimed it had been the subject of a smear campaign.
Ms Cox, a Labour MP, was stabbed and shot in 2016 while Conservative Sir David was stabbed to death in 2021.
Sir David’s daughter Katie criticised the band after the video emerged.
In a statement posted on X, the Belfast group, comprising Liam Og O Hannaidh, Naoise O Caireallain and JJ O Dochartaigh, said they “reject any suggestion that we would seek to incite violence against any MP or individual”.
They said footage had been deliberately taken out of context and was being “exploited and weaponised”.
The band has claimed it is facing a co-ordinated smear campaign after speaking out about the conflict in Gaza.
Kneecap said it has never supported Hamas or Hezbollah and it condemned all attacks on civilians.
“To the Amess and Cox families, we send our heartfelt apologies, we never intended to cause you hurt,” said the statement.
“Kneecap’s message has always been — and remains — one of love, inclusion, and hope. This is why our music resonates across generations, countries, classes and cultures and has brought hundreds of thousands of people to our gigs. No smear campaign will change that. ”
On Monday, Sir Keir Starmer’s spokesman said the Prime Minister believed the recent comments attributed to the band in the footage were “completely unacceptable” and “condemns them in the strongest possible terms”.
Mrs Badenoch said Kneecap’s “anti-British hatred has no place in our society”.
“After the murder of Sir David Amess, this demands prosecution,” she added.
Mrs Badenoch blocked a government grant to the bilingual Belfast group while she was business secretary.
But in November 2024, Kneecap won a discrimination challenge over the decision to refuse them a £14,250 funding award after the UK government conceded it was “unlawful”.
Downing Street indicated there would be no further public funds directed towards Kneecap.
“I don’t think organisations such as that should be receiving taxpayers’ money,” the Prime Minister’s spokesman said.
Meanwhile, Labour MP David Taylor has written to the organisers of the Glastonbury Festival, urging them to remove Kneecap from this year’s line-up.
Kneecap also faced criticism in the US over its recent performance during the major music festival Coachella, held in California.
At Coachella, Kneecap displayed messages which read: “Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people”; “It is being enabled by the US government who arm and fund Israel despite their war crimes”; and “F*** Israel. Free Palestine”.
In a lengthy statement addressing the series of controversies, the band said:
“They want you to believe words are more harmful than genocide.
“Establishment figures, desperate to silence us, have combed through hundreds of hours of footage and interviews, extracting a handful of words from months or years ago to manufacture moral hysteria.
“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. 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. This distortion is not only absurd – it is a transparent effort to derail the real conversation.
“All two million Palestinian people in Gaza are currently being starved to death by Israel. At least 20,000 children in Gaza have been killed. The British government continues to supply arms to Israel, even after scores of NHS doctors warned Keir Starmer in August that children were being systematically executed with sniper shots to the head.
“Instead of defending innocent people or the principles of international law, the powerful in Britain have abetted slaughter and famine. This is where real anger and outrage should be directed towards.”
I've written to @glastonbury urging them to remove Kneecap based on their alleged behaviour and the widely reported footage.
— David Taylor MP (@DavidTaylor85) April 28, 2025
Allegedly calling for the murder of colleagues is abhorrent, I stand in solidarity with MPs from across the House.
Violence has no place in politics. pic.twitter.com/Zn4MhHeTUA
The statement added: “Suddenly, days after calling out the US administration at Coachella to applause and solidarity, there is an avalanche of outrage and condemnation by the political classes of Britain. The real crimes are not in our performances; the real crimes are the silence and complicity of those in power. Shame on them.”
On Sunday, a Metropolitan Police spokesman said: “We were made aware of a video on April 22, believed to be from an event in November 2024, and it has been referred to the counter-terrorism internet referral unit for assessment and to determine whether any further police investigation may be required.
“We have also been made aware of another video believed to be from an event in November 2023.”
He also said the force “are assessing both to determine whether further police investigation is required”.
The counter-terrorism internet referral unit (CTIRU) is based within the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command which is dedicated to identifying terrorist and extremist material online.
Police will carry out an investigation if the material breaches the law.
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