An Alliance Party MP Sorcha Eastwood has tabled a parliamentary motion condemning west Belfast trio Kneecap after a member of the group allegedly called for the death of Tory MPs.
It comes as Sir Keir Starmer’s official spokesman said the Prime Minister believed the comments were “completely unacceptable” and “condemns them in the strongest possible terms”.
Condemnation has also come from the leader of the Conservative Party, as Kemi Badenoch said Kneecap’s “anti-British hatred has no place in our society” as she called for them to face action.
Meanwhile the Taoiseach in the Republic has urged Kneecap to give “urgent clarity” on their views of Hamas and to publicly denounce threats of violence against public representatives.
The row comes after video emerged of the group at a November 2023 gig appearing to show one member saying: “The only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your local MP.”
Scotland Yard is looking into the incident, along with another concert from November 2024 in which a member of the band appeared to shout “up Hamas, up Hezbollah” – groups which are banned as terrorist organisations in the UK.
Last week, footage emerged of another gig in November last year which seemed to show a band member shouting “up Hamas, up Hezbollah” at a performance at the Kentish Town Forum where a Hezbollah flag was being displayed.
Both Hamas and Hezbollah, external, are banned in the UK and it is a crime to express support for them.
Following the emergence of the footage Kneecap said on social media that they have "faced a co-ordinated smear campaign".
However the footage is being assessed by counter-terrorism police.
In her motion, Ms Eastwood – the Lagan Valley Alliance MP – said she acknowledged the important role of art in protest, but added that she firmly rejected language that “incites violence against elected representatives”.
Art is a powerful tool for protest and raising awareness of injustice, especially in standing with oppressed people like the Palestinians. However, we must draw the line at language that incites violence,” she added in the post.
"While freedom of political expression is vital, we’ve seen the tragic consequences of words escalating into real harm – two MPs have been murdered in the past decade.”
Ms Eastwood added that the comments allegedly made by Kneecap can cause offence to many people in Northern Ireland and further afield.
"Political debate can and should be robust, but it must never descend into threats of violence or dehumanisation. Strong, passionate debate can be carried out without resorting to harmful rhetoric, and that should be expected of us all.
"As a society, we have rightly been raising the alarm about the dangerous normalisation of violence online, particularly among young people, and we know all too well that this doesn’t stay online. Words have immense power, and we must all ensure our disagreements don’t incite further harm."
Asked about the matter today, Downing Street condemned the rap group.
Sir Keir Starmer’s official spokesman said the Prime Minister believed the comments were “completely unacceptable” and “condemns them in the strongest possible terms”.
His counterpart in the Republic – Mícheál Martin urged Kneecap to give “urgent clarity” on their views of Hamas and to publicly denounce threats of violence against public representatives.
Speaking to reporters in Dublin he said: “We need clarity. This is what has been asserted, albeit at one or two public events.
“I think what would benefit the entire conversation is of Kneecap were to clarify really urgently their position in respect of Hezbollah, for example, and in respect of Hamas, and also their very clear denunciation of any violence or threat of violence against public representatives.”
HE said artists have always been facilitated in criticising policies but that any support of Hezbollah would be “unacceptable".
Earlier, Conservative leader, Ms Badenoch said Kneecap’s “anti-British hatred has no place in our society” as she called for them to face action.
Mrs Badenoch said it was “good” the police were looking into the allegation, adding: “Kneecap’s glorification of terrorism and anti-British hatred has no place in our society.
“Now footage shows one of them saying: ‘The only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your local MP’.
“After the murder of Sir David Amess, this demands prosecution.”
Conservative MP Sir David was stabbed to death while meeting constituents in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, in 2021.
Katie Amess – Sir David Amess’s daughter – said she would be willing to meet the rap trio and speak to them about the damage the recently emerged video from the band has caused her and her family.
The woman told BBC NI’s Good Morning Ulster she was "absolutely gobsmacked at the stupidity of somebody or a group of people being in the public eye and saying such dangerous, violent rhetoric".
by WrongdoerGold1683
42 comments
Serves them right. Knew the sort from the start
Love it when they can get the government to do their marketing work for the.
All this fake outrage is going to do wonders for their ticket sales. Cheaper than any PR company.
They can’t keep out of the news. No wonder their gigs are selling out so quick.
People where jailed for tweets similar to this. They think they are above the law.
“kill your local MP” wouldn’t have went down well when Bobby Sands MP was elected
I guess we know who’s posters will occupy bonfires this year
Not looking good. Maybe a sliver of hope for them if they can argue that utterances by a stage persona do not reflect their personal views but it looks like it’ll be back down or double down.
That might work, they’ve signposted their work as performance punk pretty clearly imo, but for that to work they’d need the law they’ve broken to be performance also. I dunno if The Terrorism Act is one that is viewed as an open playing field for performance art.
Micheal Martin is being cute here too, asking for ‘urgent clarity’, knowing fine well they can’t offer it. Tough times, lads. I only wish you’d have thought this all through better.
Yaaaaaaaaaaaa
Imagine being rattled by the views of a few lads from the whack🤣.
It was a dumb thing to say and yet this witch hunt is turning into a marketing master stroke.
A motion for British MPs to condemn hatred of British MPs. The most pointless back-slapping self-congratulatory circlejerk I’ve seen in a while. You could replace Alliance with AI and no one would notice.
Think they’ve shot themselves in the foot/kneecap.
Some amount of balaclava licking in these threads lol
I’m sure to some saying ‘*kill your local MP*’ is very rebellious, edgy and harmless but it’s not, it’s dangerous and stupid, especially when you consider we’ve had two MPs murdered in the last decade.
You can protest and criticise all you want, but if ‘*art*’ in any way normalises violence in any sense against anyone, a line has been crossed. Kneecap aren’t being ‘*smeared*’ as some unthinking defenders with misplaced loyalties claim, they’re simply facing consequences for reckless, irresponsible behaviour. Like everyone else.
Has Sorcha had a chat with Danny Donnelly? He’s been defending that shower of sectarian cunts all weekend.
Keir Starmer, who was once Britain’s top lawyer, managed to go onto the radio and falsely claim that Israel had the right to turn off the electricity and water supply of Palestinians in Gaza. The theoretical lives of MPs, who haven’t actually been put in any danger here, matter way more than tens of thousands of real lives that have been extinguished in accordance with British policy.
if you don’t find the sheer concentration of articles just coming out about something that happened 2 years ago suspicious you’ve got your head in the sand.
Who cares what a rapper said a couple years back? Every year that passes this country seems to get worse yet politicians are wasting their time on this nonsense? And the police whinging about being understaffed and they are using their limited time to investigate a line at a concert?
Hope all those clutching their pearls keep the same attitude when Sinn Fein posters are burned on the 12th and when Bobby Sands MP is talked about.
Where is the actual video of them saying it?
Hours without kneecap Shite on r/northernireland
0.
Glad we have all our shit together so much and all the rest of societies problem sorted that we can all just concentrate on what edgelord rapper kids get up to now.
Have to say, the comments they made can simply not be defended whatsoever. They’ve truly made a proper show of themselves.
On the flip side, very very unusual that this happened two years ago and has only surfaced now. There’s obviously been some serious digging going on.
Imagine being arrested for saying things. The UK is a fucking joke.
Just shows you can say what ever you want, but as soon as you mention Isreal its a different story
So good of the famously publicity averse Sorcha Eastwood to take some time off from lionising the RUC & UDR to try and make hay, votes and delicious screentime out of another opportunity
Agree with the Taoiseach. Why can’t they address these videos publicly? Do they seriously stand by those statements?
If they actually want to raise awareness and support Palestine, they need to condemn those statements. They had a chance to bring international awareness to an important issue, and it’s all being tainted. No one is going to take you seriously when it comes out that you’re on the record calling for the murder of elected officials and yelling out support for terrorist groups, and after DAYS, have still not apologized or explained it.
If you weren’t outraged enough to mention it at the time(2 years ago) your current outrage is purely performative and I refuse to take it seriously.
Seems Kneecap are making themselves out to be as bad as the organisations and people they are protesting against.
And they were doing so well too
Scrotes being scrotes, shocking.
Christ the night, the pearl clutching is next level. Government is picking our pockets, with fa public services in return and they haven’t a clue about the inflation that’s done a number on our cost of living. But THIS is what people choose to take a stand about. And just to be clear idgaf about kneecap and don’t agree with their policies on mps and hamas but it’s in the arena of art ffs. It’s as pathetic as satanic panic in the 80s.
Perfect opportunity for Alliance earn some soft Unionist credit in fairness.
Interesting how this is only coming up now, totally not an agenda at play
Bit late lads. They said this years ago. Now fuck up and dance
It pales in comparison to Israel killing 20000+ kids in Gaza.
You know they weren’t actually encouraging people to murder MP’s? You know the people in the crowd wouldn’t actually take them seriously? No one said anything at the time because no one took it seriously. Fast forward to last weekend and it’s an orchestrated cancellation campaign due to calling out Israeli genocide at Coachella. A step too far for the Zionist’s and it’s time to take them down.
Is calling for MPs to be killed immature and race-to-the-bottom edgelord nonsense? I think so. Does that mean they’re wrong about Israel and have drawn some amount of ire from their supporters? Nope.
Kneecap should be proscribed since they are openly advocating terrorism.
Came for the curtain twitching indignance. Wasn’t disappointed.
Just as food for thought, because this whole thing has made me consider it. I think in my lifetime, MPs have killed more people than people have killed MPs.
Google, please bring up the number of people dead from austerity measures since 2010
Comments are closed.