Irish hip hop trio Kneecap under investigation by British counterterrorism police over videos

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The Belfast hip hop group Kneecap have won legions of fans for their Irish-language rapping and controversial songs that deride the police, the British government and just about every other authority figure.

But now the three musicians who make up the band – Liam Og O Hannaidh, Naoise O Caireallain and JJ O Dochartaigh – are being investigated by counterterrorism police in Britain over remarks they allegedly made in a pair of videos about killing politicians and supporting Hamas and Hezbollah.

The videos, which date back to 2023 and 2024, emerged this week. They have caused an uproar in Parliament and tested the limits of artistic freedom.

In one clip from 2023, a band member can allegedly be heard saying to the crowd: “The only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your local MP.” Footage from the second video, shot in 2024, allegedly shows one of the trio shouting “up Hamas, up Hezbollah” during a performance in London where a Hezbollah flag was also displayed. Both Hamas and Hezbollah have been designated as terrorist organizations in the United Kingdom.

The comments have been condemned by politicians and the families of two MPs who were murdered in recent years – Labour MP Jo Cox who was shot and stabbed to death in 2016 and Tory MP David Amess who was killed in 2021 by a sympathizer of the Islamic State.

“It wasn’t a throwaway remark. It was part of a conversation that they were having about politics, and it was a very clear incitement to violence,” Brendan Cox, Ms. Cox’s widower, told Times Radio this week.

“It is just beyond belief that human beings would speak like that in this day and age, and it is extremely dangerous,” Katie Amess, Mr. Amess’s daughter, said on BBC.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper called the band’s comments “a total disgrace,” adding: “It’s dangerous and irresponsible to say these sorts of things, and I hope that everybody involved – not just the band but also those involved surrounding them and those involved in events – also take some responsibility.”

Five Kneecap concerts in Germany have been cancelled because of the controversy and the band has been dropped from the Eden Sessions music series in Cornwall. Pressure is building on the organizers of the Glastonbury festival to pull Kneecap from this summer’s lineup. And a petition has been started in Vancouver to cancel the rappers’ two shows at The Vogue theatre in October.

On Thursday, London’s Metropolitan Police announced that its counterterrorism unit will investigate the videos. Officers have “determined there are grounds for further investigation into potential offences linked to both videos,” the force said in a statement.

Kneecap has apologized to the Cox and Amess families, and insisted that they don’t condone violence. But they’ve also lashed out at what they say is an attempt to silence them.

“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,” the band said in a statement.

“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.”

This isn’t the first time Kneecap has caused a furor.

The band members hail from the republican strongholds of West Belfast and Derry. They formed Kneecap in 2017 after Mr. O Caireallain was arrested for spray painting “cearta”, which is Irish for “rights”, on a Belfast bus stop before a rally in support of Irish language rights. They released a song about the incident called CEARTA, which became an instant hit.

From then on, their popularity soared along with their ability to cause offence.

The group took their name from “kneecapping,” a form of punishment meted out by the Irish Republican Army that involves shooting someone in the kneecaps. Their decision to rap in the Irish language also touched a nerve in Northern Ireland, where Gaelic is generally associated with republicanism.

They’ve been banned from Irish public radio because of overt references to drug use and lambasted for showing images of police cars on fire. Last month, they faced a barrage of criticism for displaying anti-Israel messages during an appearance at the Coachella music festival.

But their catchy tunes and irreverent takedowns of authority have won millions of fans and sold-out shows in Britain, the U.S. and Canada. They also won critical acclaim for a biopic they released last year, called Kneecap, which won the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival.

Review: Riotous Irish hip-hop comedy Kneecap is energetic enough to fuel a revolution

This week, the rappers have received the backing of more than 40 musicians and bands who signed an open letter of support.

“As artists, we feel the need to register our opposition to any political repression of artistic freedom,” said the letter which was signed by, among others, Paul Weller, former front man of The Jam as well as bands Pulp, The Pogues and Massive Attack.

“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.”