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LAST UPDATE | 28 Apr
TAOISEACH MICHEÁL MARTIN has said that Kneecap must “urgently clarify” their views on Hamas and Hezbollah, as the group face police investigations in the UK for alleged chants in support of the terror organisations.
A video from a concert in November last year allegedly shows a member of the Belfast rap trio shouting the chant “up Hamas, up Hezbollah”.
Hamas and Hezbollah are on the UK’s list of proscribed terrorist organisations. According to British police, it is a criminal offence in the UK to “invite support” or “express an opinion or belief that is supportive” for an organisation on the list.
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said that the video “has been referred to the counter-terrorism internet referral unit for further assessment to determine if additional investigation is needed”.
Martin said this morning that Kneecap should clarify their stance on Hamas and Hezbollah as soon as possible, adding that support for the organisations “would be unacceptable”.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin says Kneecap need to clarify their stance on Hamas and Hezbollah.
— Jane Matthews (@janeematthews) April 28, 2025
He says it is not clear to him that they do support either organisation, but if they do that would be unacceptable.
@thejournal_ie pic.twitter.com/PTows2X6dk
“It’s not clear to me that Kneecap do support Hezbollah or Hamas - it’s been asserted that they have made commentary in support of both, I think they need to urgently clarify that,” Martin told reporters.
The rap trio are also facing police investigations over alleged remarks made on stage calling for the deaths of Tory MPs
Footage of the band at a gig in November 2023 appears to show one person from Kneecap saying: “The only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your local MP.”
In a post online, UK Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said it was “good” the police were looking into the allegations.
“Kneecap’s glorification of terrorism and anti-British hatred has no place in our society,” Badenoch said.
Good.
— Kemi Badenoch (@KemiBadenoch) April 28, 2025
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. https://t.co/hfOxFLvQqS
“After the murder of Sir David Amess, this demands prosecution.”
Amess, a former Conservative MP, was stabbed to death while meeting constituents in Essex in 2021.
“We’ve had some horrific events in terms of the killing of MPs in Britain, so there’s a huge responsibility of everybody to be very, very focused in terms of protection of public representatives and the safety of public representatives,” Martin said.
He added that it is important that “free speech is always facilitated and the capacity to speak up and to criticise policies of others is all legitimate”, but said the security and safety of people is “a different issue”.
“I think what would benefit the entire conversation [is] if they were to clarify very urgently their position in respect of Hezbollah and Hamas, and also their very clear denunciation of any violence or threat of violence against public representatives,” he said.
Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney was also asked to comment on Kneecap’s remarks on Tory MPS.
Speaking today, Swinney said that the organisers of Glasgow music festival Trnstm, where Kneecap are set to play in July, should reconsider whether the band are included in light of their remarks.
The UK’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s official spokesman said he believes the comments were “completely unacceptable” and “condemns them in the strongest possible terms”.
Kneecap also made headlines earlier this month after their performance at US music festival Coachella, during which their screen displayed messages that included “Fuck Israel. Free Palestine.”
Kneecap’s manager has said the group’s members have received death threats over their Coachella performance.
“They have the bravery and conviction, especially where they’ve come from in a post-conflict society, to stand up for what’s right,” Daniel Lambert told RTÉ’s Drivetime.
Lambert argued the band should be praised for making a stand “despite the fact it may harm their careers, and their income”.
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