Avon and Somerset Police have confirmed that their investigation into Kneecap's performance at this summer's Glastonbury festival has been closed, and that no action is to be taken against the Belfast/Derry hip-hop trio.
The rap group's appearance on the festival's West Holts stage was the subject of much advance discussion, following their much-talked-about and controversial sets at Coachella festival earlier this year, and rapper Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, aka Mo Chara, subsequently being charged with an (unconnected) terrorism offence in the UK.
Ó hAnnaidh, 27, is accused of displaying a flag representing Hezbollah “in such a way or in such circumstances as to arouse reasonable suspicion that he is a supporter of a proscribed organisation”, at a show at London's Kentish Town Forum last November. He is currently on unconditional bail, with his next court hearing at London's Westminster Magistrates Court set for August 20.
In the weeks leading up to the controversial Irish band's June 28 appearance at the UK's biggest and best-known music festival, a number of British politicians publicly called for the trio to be removed from the bill, while a group of US/UK music industry executives signed a private letter to the Eavis family requesting the same thing,
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer also weighed in on the matter, stating that he didn't think it would be "appropriate" for the band to perform. The BBC subsequently opted not to stream the band's performance live on their iPlayer service, though an edited version of the set was uploaded within 24 hours.
In the wake of the group's performance, Avon and Somerset Police announced publicly that they would be opening an investigation into their set to see if it breached any UK laws, and would also be investigating the set by London grime-punks Bob Vylan which immediately preceded it.
Today, July 18, a Senior Investigating Officer for Avon and Somerset Police emailed Kneecap's representatives to say that the investigation into their set is now at an end.
The band have now shared a screenshot of the email from the police force on social media, along with a statement, which reads:
"One element of the political policing intimidation attempt is over.
"We played a historic set at Glastonbury. Whole area closed an hour before due to crowds. A celebration of love and solidarity. A sea of good people at the world's most famous festival.
"Shortly afterwards we learn of an active police investigation. An investigation that followed after the Prime Minister himself said it "was not appropriate" we played Glastonbury.
"Walk off stage to the rapturous sounds of good people and into the creaking scheming sounds of the establishment.
"This "investigation" was reported across the world's media often with wildly misleading headlines.
"Every single person who saw our set knew no law was broken, not even close....yet the police saw fit to publicly announce they were opening an investigation.
"Why open and publicise an investigation into fuck all?
"This is political.
"This is targetted.
"This is state intimidation.
"After the media damage is inflicted and seen by millions of eyes - you receive a private email to say there's no evidence and no action - that is seen by two people only.
"There is no public apology, they don't send this to media or post it on police accounts.
"We will continue to fight.
"We will continue to win."
No further information into the investigation into Bob Vylan's set has yet been made disclosed by Avon and Somerset Police.
Meanwhile, Massive Attack, Kneecap, Fontaines D.C., Garbage and more have launched an alliance for musicians concerned that they may face "intimidations" within the music industry over their public support of the Palestinian people.
Massive Attack themselves have faced criticism for their pro-Palestinian stance.
In a statement supplied to The Guardian, Massive Attack say: “This collective action is really about offering some kind of solidarity to those artists who are living day after day in a screen-time genocide, but are worried about using their platforms to express their horror at that because of the level of censorship within their industry or from highly organised external legal bodies, terrifying them and their management teams with aggressive legal actions. The intention is clear and obvious: to silence them.”
