On Thursday, the Met Police gave a statement (via the BBC) saying, “On April 22, we were made aware of an online video believed to be from a music event in London in November 2024. Following this, we were made aware of a further video, believed to be from another music event in London in November 2023. Both 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 offences 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.”
Kneecap has called the criticisms and investigation “a transparent effort to derail the real conversation” about the suffering in Gaza. “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,” they said in a statement earlier this week. “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.”
According to BBC reporting, several Kneecap gigs have been canceled in the wake of the controversy, but they remain on the lineup of Glastonbury for the time being. And they’ve been backed by other U.K. artists, including a statement of support signed by the likes of Fontaines D.C., The Pogues, Dexys (formerly known as the Midnight Runners), Pulp, Thin Lizzy, and more. Their statement decried the situation as a “clear, concerted attempt to censor and ultimately deplatform” the band. “As artists, we feel the need to register our opposition to any political repression of artistic freedom,” the statement read. “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.” Massive Attack, who also signed the statement of support, released an additional message accusing politicians and conservative media of “concocting moral outrage over the stage utterings of a young punk band. They asserted, “Kneecap are not the story. Gaza is the story. Genocide is the story. And the silence, acquiescence and support of those crimes against humanity by the elected British government is the real story.”
“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,” Kneecap’s own statement declared. “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.”
