BBC says 'we do not ban artists' as it continues to play songs from republican rap outfit Kneecap

The group's new song, Sayonara, has been on the playlist of BBC Radio 6 in recent weeks, including during one of its member’s recent legal proceedings.

Last November one of the members of the hardline republican group – Liam O’Hanna, also known as Liam Og O hAnnaidh – was filmed draped in the assault rifle-emblazoned flag of Islamist militia Hezbollah while shouting “tiocfaidh ar la, up Hamas, up Hezbollah”.

A court case against him for breaching the Terrorism Act by displaying the flag has since collapsed over a technicality.

The group had also faced criticism earlier this year after one of its members told a London audience: “The only good Tory is a dead Tory – kill your local MP.”

The group has previously mocked the BBC as "the propaganda wing of the regime" in the UK.

The corporation's decision to keep the group on its playlists has now drawn fire from the TUV, which contrasted this approach with how the BBC deals with the Twelfth and loyalism in general.

The BBC was asked if it has a policy concerning broadcasts involving people facing criminal proceedings, and whether it had given consideration to pulling Kneecap from BBC playlists in light of their court case (and their other controversies).

It responded: "The BBC doesn’t ban artists or tracks, and decisions on what we play are always made with the relevant audiences and context in mind.”

TUV chairman and councillor Allister Kyle said: “This raises serious questions about the BBC’s adherence to its own editorial guidelines on harm, offence, impartiality, and the portrayal of violence.

"The BBC states that ‘the greater the risk of causing harm or offence, the greater the thought, care and planning required'.

“The BBC also has a duty of impartiality, requiring that controversial subjects are treated fairly.

"Kneecap’s history of glorifying Irish republican violence, including the comment about kill your Tory MP, clearly sets this act apart.

"Kneecap has repeatedly shown no regard for innocent victims of Irish republican terrorism."

Councillor Kyle also said that “while the BBC demonises loyalist culture – even issuing a trigger warning for its limited coverage of the Twelfth – they continue to broadcast Kneecap music across the UK".

This is a reference to complaints from the Orange Order about how broadcasts about the Twelfth are prefaced.

In July, the order had published a statement saying: "Their Twelfth coverage in recent years has been prefixed by introductory remarks which recognise that people sometimes 'have different views about the Twelfth'.

"When questioned by GOLI officers as to what other local programmes were introduced in such a manner, their Northern Ireland director could offer no examples and described the Orange Institution as ‘unique’."

Councillor Kyle continued by adding that whilst “accordion bands playing hymns merit warnings” from the BBC, an online BBC-branded flyer promoting Kneecap’s new song, tweeted out by the group, features DJ Provai wearing a tricolour balaclava – “a sick nod to the last thing many victims of terrorism in Northern Ireland ever saw”.

The UUP said in a statement: "The UUP defends the right of any musician or artist to express themselves where that expression does not extend to the support of legally-proscribed organisations.

"The playing of material by any group that does express support for a banned grouping is a matter for individual broadcasters."

When councillor Kyle’s comments were put to him, Kneecap’s manager Dan Lambert said “if you were an 'actual newspaper' you'd do some f**king research” and not “peddle your hateful propaganda”.

Mr Lambert then listed 13 examples of Kneecap members saying ostensibly cross-community things.

These included Moglai Bap responding to a claim from Vice News that “people might assume these are young IRA sympathisers”.

Moglai Bap had replied: “We wouldn’t advocate any violence these days, I don’t think it’s going to get us anywhere.

"I think there’s other options now. That’s why music and culture and language are so important.”

Mr Lambert quoted Mo Chara (Liam O’Hanna) as telling the Irish Examiner: “People who call us inflammatory are not paying attention to what we’re really saying.

“We’re always saying we’re cut from the same cloth on both sides of the division, that we’re working-class people with more in common with each other than we do with rich people in Dublin. It’s actually those headlines that stoke division.”

Mr Lambert also quoted Moglai Bap (Naoise O Caireallain) as telling The Guardian: “Me and our cameraman went to Sandy Row. All of a sudden I heard someone singing the hook to CEARTA in Irish.

"I turned around and suddenly there were like 14 young loyalists singing along.

"I ended up drinking Buckfast with them.

"That’s where we’re at. They like to make it out that we’re here to split people up but on the ground, it’s not like that.

"It’s working-class people that get our craic.”

Others he cited were Mo Chara saying: ‘“The people on the ‘other side’ aren’t our enemy… up the Shankill! Up the Falls!” (from The Face);

Moglai Bap saying: “Some people are more worried about a piece of art than the effigies of real politicians hanging off bonfires. We don’t want to be fighting or advocating violence. We want people to be thinking.” (The Guardian);

Mo Chara saying: “It’s only a piece of paper at the end of the day, if I had a British passport, it doesn’t make me any less Irish." And also him saying: “‘It’s the same anywhere it’s united the working class.” (Vice News);

Moglai Bap saying: “At the end of the day we’ve more interest in the people from the Shankill gaining from a United Ireland than someone from Malone Road, because the people in the Shankill, if we gain and they gain, there’s two working class communities side by side.” (Vice News);

The group saying in a statement: ‘“In the Shankill and Falls and other working class areas, we are all the same. We are all one. It is about community and love” (Sunday World);

Moglai Bap saying: “People who are outraged don’t want to see what we actually stand for. They could if they wanted, but they’d much prefer to be outraged. There’s a portion of society that want the [unionist] 12th July bonfires, and they’re funded by the council, and that’s totally fine. I’m just jel. I want a big street party like theirs! Like we have Paddy’s Day, but the 12th July goes on for two days.” (The Guardian);

Mo Chara saying: ‘“Irish isn’t a Catholic or republican language. The Protestants and unionists have every right to have the opportunity to learn it.” (The Guardian);

Moglai Bap saying: “We’re working-class first, and there’s a bigger enemy out there… God bless the Good Friday agreement. They want us divided.” (The Guardian);

And another article (from The Examiner) about Moglai Bap visiting Sandy Row on the Twelfth, in which he said: “The marches were on. There was a crowd of young loyalists and all of a sudden they were singing ‘CEARTA’ at me. We ended up having a ball, drinking Buckfast together and following each other on Instagram. I put them on the guest list for our next gig.”