PA MediaRap trio Kneecap has teased the release of new music amid an investigation by counter-terrorism officers into footage that allegedly shows the group calling for the deaths of MPs.
Several gigs featuring the Belfast band have been cancelled after video appeared to show one of them shouting “up Hamas, up Hezbollah” in November last year.
Footage from November 2023 also appeared to show a member of the Irish language group saying: “The only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your local MP.”
On Monday, the Northern Irish band posted a statement saying they have “never supported” Hamas or Hezbollah, which are both banned organisations in the UK, and apologising to the families of murdered MPs.
Jewish groups and MPs, as well as former X Factor judge Sharon Osbourne, have called for them to be dropped from the Glastonbury line-up, while Kneecap have claimed footage of the incident has been “exploited and weaponised”.
Kneecap posted an image on X on Friday of one of them wearing a Palestinian keffiyeh patterned scarf, saying: “New track coming soon….stay tuned…lock down your aerial.”
On Thursday, the Met Police said they were made “aware” in April of two lots of footage from November 2023 and 2024, and the force’s Counter Terrorism Command would be investigating.
A statement said: “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.”
Artists including CMAT, Massive Attack, The Pogues, Brian Eno, Pulp, Paul Weller, former BBC Radio 1 DJ Annie Mac and Primal Scream have defended the band.
They signed a statement saying there is a “clear, concerted attempt to censor and ultimately deplatform” Kneecap, while claiming that politicians are “strategically concocting moral outrage over the stage utterings of a young punk band” while ignoring a “genocide” in Gaza.
Earlier this month, Osbourne had called for the band to have their US visas stripped after they criticised Israel at the Coachella festival.
Following the criticism, Kneecap’s manager Daniel Lambert said the band had received “severe” death threats.
After the footage emerged, Kneecap, who go by the names Moglai Bap, Mo Chara and DJ Provai, saw their performance at the Eden Project in Cornwall axed, while ticket websites for three gigs in Germany said the shows in the country had been cancelled.
The Eden Project performance was moved to Plymouth Pavilions, but that concert was also scrapped.
Hours later, music venue The Depo, also based in the Plymouth, announced it would be holding three Kneecap gigs at the beginning of July.
Festivals in the Netherlands, Paradiso Festival in Amsterdam, and Czech Republic’s Rock for People have said they are assessing the situation.
After the apology and police investigation, the daughter of murdered MP Sir David Amess, who was stabbed to death in 2021, suggested the trio had been “badly advised”.
Katie Amess said their Monday statement was “deflection and excuses and gaslighting”, and that it would be “very dangerous” for the group to perform at Glastonbury.
She has urged a “thorough investigation to determine the full extent of any criminal activity” and said it “is imperative that individuals and groups are held accountable for their words and actions that incite violence and hatred”.
Earlier this week, Brendan Cox, whose wife Labour MP Jo Cox was murdered in 2016, called the statement “only half an apology”.
Kneecap, made up of Liam Og O Hannaidh, Naoise O Caireallain and JJ O Dochartaigh, formed in 2017 and are known for their provocative lyrics and merchandise.
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