Kneecap is a ‘hate fest’ promoting division, says DUP leader

Belfast rap trio Kneecap are a “hate fest” that “promote division”, DUP leader Gavin Robinson has said.

The Belfast East MP said that the promoter of a Kneecap gig in Belfast in August has questions to answer as he labelled the group as “totally inappropriate”.

Mr Robinson is the latest to criticise the group for alleged comments attributed to band members around support for Hamas and Hezbollah, and the killing of Tory MPs.

The group have come under fire after a video emerged from a November 2023 gig appearing to show one member saying: “The only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your local MP.”

Counter-terrorism police in London are examining the footage, along with a video clip from another concert in November 2024 in which a member of the band appeared to shout “up Hamas, up Hezbollah”, groups which are banned as terrorist organisations in the UK.

Irish premier Micheal Martin has said the group should “urgently” clarify the comments.

Speaking on Monday, Belfast East MP Gavin Robinson accused the band of performing in “a grotesque way”.

He said a “slim defence” is put forward that argues the group “have freedom of this expression”.

“They have become a hate fest,” he said, speaking at Stormont.

“When you listen to Katie Amess this morning, I don’t think anyone could be failed to be moved by just how appalling and outrageous their position is,” he said.

Ms Amess, the daughter of Conservative MP David Amess who was stabbed to death while meeting constituents in Essex in 2021, has called on Kneecap to apologise.

“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.

“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 “actions have consequences” when asked whether Kneecap should still perform at a gig in Belfast in August and at Glastonbury in June.

“They 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.”

Asked about the Belfast gig, which is to be held on Belfast City Council-owned land, Mr Robinson said the council has “a contractual relationship” with the promoter of the event and said “there are questions for the promoter to answer”.

When asked whether he would like to see the Kneecap gig go ahead, Mr Robinson said: “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.”

Stormont’s Economy Minster Caoimhe Archibald said it is a matter for Kneecap whether they apologise.

Speaking at Parliament Buildings, the Sinn Fein minister said: “Clearly, I don’t agree with what was said.

“I think that Kneecap are a group that has been very vocal on issues that are important to them like Gaza.

“I think the most outrageous issue facing the world today is the ongoing genocide that we are seeing in Palestine and the bombardment that continues on a daily basis, the blockading of aid, the slaughter of innocent women and children.

“I think that is what our focus should very much be on as an international community, in bringing an end to that.”

Asked if Kneecap should apologise, Ms Archibald said: “I think that is a matter for Kneecap.”

In the House of Commons on Monday, Ulster Unionist MP for South Antrim Robin Swann asked the Home Office minister to condemn Kneecap’s remarks on Tory MPs.

He said: “Would the minister join me in condemning the recent statement by the so-called Irish rap band Kneecap, where it has actually been reported that they have said to their audience that they should kill their local MP and the only good Tory is a dead Tory?”

Home Office minister Dame Diana Johnson replied: “Yes, of course I would condemn any comments like that online.”

She added: “We work in partnership with technology companies to ensure that they understand their responsibilities to tackle illegal content on their platforms and we’ve been clear that they need to act quickly to identify and remove the content from their platforms once posted.

“More generally the Online Safety Act places duties on platforms to swiftly identify and remove illegal content, which we expect them to abide by.

“And furthermore, these platforms have a moral responsibility to keep their users safe and the general public safe and we expect them to take all reasonable steps to do so.”