Kneecap have become 'a hatefest' that 'promotes division', DUP leader Gavin Robinson says

28 April 2025, 19:59 | Updated: 28 April 2025, 20:51

DUP leader Gavin Robinson has slammed the promotors who booked Kneecap for a Belfast show this summer, labelling the Irish rap group as "appalling and outrageous".

The hip-hip group have landed themselves in hot water recently after footage emerged on X of them appearing to shout their support for Hamas and Hezbollah, groups which are banned as terrorist organisations in the UK, at a London show in November last year.

They can also be allegedly heard saying to the crowd: "The only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your local MP.”

Scotland Yard's counter-terrorism division is currently looking into the incident, as a growing number of politicians have called for the band's upcoming UK shows to be cancelled.

The band - which is made up of Mo Chara, Móglaí Bap and DJ Próvaí - are due to support Fontaines D.C at their Boucher Road Playing Fields show in August, but Mr Robinson called for their removal from the bill as they had become a "hate fest”.

"From my perspective, these gentlemen don’t need to be on a stage, they need to be in a courtroom because it is a hate crime what they are doing and it should be considered as such," Mr Robinson said.

“This isn’t a political perspective just from us, when you can see that there’s a collective political will in London and Dublin calling out, not only the need for them to clarify or apologise."

Read more: Kneecap could be pulled from major UK show after shouting 'pro-Hamas' chants at concert

Read more: Counter terror police investigate ‘pro-Hamas’ rap group Kneecap who were given £14k by government

In the controversial footage, Chara can be heard shouting 'Up Hamas' and 'Up Hezbollah' during a gig at the O2 in Kentish Town.

The rapper appears to say to the crowd: "Free Palestine. Free the six counties. Tiocfaidh ár lá (Irish language for 'our day will come'). Up Hamas. Up Hezbollah."

As well as the Belfast show, Kneecap are also booked to play one of the main stages at Glastonbury in June and support Fontaines again for their Finsbury Park concert in July.

Their appearance at the latter show is also currently up in the air, after the park's local MP Catherine West told LBC last week that she had raised the social media footage with the licensing authority.

When asked if these UK performances should go ahead, Mr Robinson believed that "actions had consequences" and called for the show's promotors to act.

He said: "They [the band] should face the wrath, disappointment, consternation of people, not just like us in unionism, in Belfast, or across Northern Ireland, but as you can see right across these isles, the British Isles and within the United States of America where a promoter has dropped them, where there are questions over the availability of a visa, and rightly so.

"Because support for prescribed organisations, support for the killing of members of parliament, irrespective of their political view, that members of parliament should be killed, it’s appalling.

"It shouldn’t be given a sort of casual acquiescence, and say ‘let’s not give them publicity’, they should hear the widespread and cross party political and cross country condemnation of their position.

"I think they are totally inappropriate. I don’t think that there’s a place for their glorification of terrorism, their promotion of prescribed organisations, their threats to elected representatives, be they English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish, or Irish, it’s totally inappropriate and we shouldn’t stand for it in our society."

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch also slammed the alleged comments made by Kneecap, saying "anti-British hatred has no place in our society".

Ms Badenoch, who had previously blocked a government arts grant to the Belfast rap trio when she was business secretary, said it was "good" the police were looking into the statements.

She said: “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.”

Katie Amess, the daughter of Conservative MP Sir David Amess who was stabbed to death in 2021, criticised Kneecap's choice of words.

Ms Amess told BBC's Good Morning Ulster: “It is just beyond belief that human beings would speak like that in this day and age and it is extremely dangerous.”

She raised concerns that "nutters" could act upon the alleged comments, asking "what on earth are they thinking".

The Irish language rap group also made headlines recently after they used a recent performance at Coachella to denounce Israeli attacks on Gaza.

Their performance infuriated Fox News commentators and Sharon Osbourne, who urged US authorities to revoke the trio's work visas.

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Kneecap have always been avid pro-Palestine supporters and used their show at Coachella to lead the audience in chants of “free, free Palestine”, whilst messages such as "Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people" appeared on screens behind them.

The rappers also carried out a chant celebrating the death of Margaret Thatcher, which they claimed was cut from the festival’s livestream.

Their performance infuriated some sections of American society, with Fox News commentators accusing the trio of bringing “Nazi Germany” sentiments to America.

Posting a clip of the segment on their social media accounts, Kneecap said the commentator’s admission that she had not previously heard of the band was the “only part of this shite that made any sense".

The group also said it had received thousands of such endorsements as well as “hundreds of violent Zionist threats”, adding that almost all the concerts of a US tour scheduled for October have sold out.

In a statement shared on the Irish rap trio's Instagram, they wrote: "Since our statements at Coachella - exposing the ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people - we have faced a coordinated smear campaign.

"For over a year, we have used our shows to call out the British and Irish governments' complicity in war crimes.

"The recent attacks against us, largely emanating from the US, are based on deliberate distortions and falsehoods. We are taking action against several of these malicious efforts."

Sharon Osbourne took to X last week to slam Kneecap's "aggressive” political statements, writing: “Music’s primary purpose is to unite people. It should not be a venue for promoting terrorist organisations or spreading hate.

“This band openly support terrorist organisations. This behaviour raises concerns about the appropriateness of their participation in such a festival and further shows they are booked to play in the USA.”

Refuting Sharon's comments, Chara told Rolling Stone that the TV personality's “rant has so many holes in it that it hardly warrants a reply but she should listen to ‘War Pigs’ that was written by Black Sabbath (her husband).”

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: "We were made aware of a video on April 22, believed to be from an event in November 2024, and it has been referred to the counter terrorism internet referral unit for assessment and to determine whether any further police investigation may be required.

"We have also been made aware of another video believed to be from an event in November 2023."

The police say they are "assessing both to determine whether further police investigation is required".

In November 2024, the band won a discrimination challenge over the government’s decision to refuse the funding award (£14,250).

Downing Street has condemned the band’s alleged comments.

The PM’s spokesman said: "We do not think individuals expressing those views should be receiving government funding."

Regarding whether the group should return the money, the spokesman said: "That's up to the group, but clearly the PM rejects the views expressed ... does not shy away from condemning them."

LBC has reached out to Kneecap's management team for comment.