Alliance stiffens its stance on Kneecap as Sorcha Eastwood condemns group's comments on 'killing MPs' and backing Hamas and Hezbollah

​Sorcha Eastwood MP tabled a Commons motion today which seeks to “acknowledge the important role of art in protest, but firmly rejects language that incites violence against elected representatives”.

It is a significant stiffening of the party’s position on the group.

Last week, when asked about the pro-Hamas/Hezbollah display, the party would issue only a statement from an unnamed spokesperson saying: “Freedom of creative expression and artistic licence is an important cornerstone of any democracy.

“However, this comes with a responsibility regarding your words and actions, particularly when potentially expressing support for proscribed organisations.”

More here – 'Perhaps they are not very intelligent': Daughter of murdered MP David Amess speaks out against Kneecap 'kill MPs' comment

Now Ms Eastwood has said: “Art is a powerful tool for protest and raising awareness of injustice, especially in standing with oppressed people like the Palestinians.

"However, we must draw the line at language that incites violence. While freedom of political expression is vital, we’ve seen the tragic consequences of words escalating into real harm – two MPs have been murdered in the past decade.

"Political debate can and should be robust, but it must never descend into threats of violence or dehumanisation. Strong, passionate debate can be carried out without resorting to harmful rhetoric, and that should be expected of us all.

"As a society, we have rightly been raising the alarm about the dangerous normalisation of violence online, particularly among young people, and we know all too well that this doesn’t stay online.

"Words have immense power, and we must all ensure our disagreements don’t incite further harm."

Previously the Alliance Party leader Naomi Long has accused Kneecap of "grooming" children into "sectarian hatred" after it unveiled a mural in west Belfast of flames engulfing a PSNI Land Rover (the group themselves refer to the PSNI as the RUC, despite the latter having disbanded when they were children).

Another mural of the group’s depicts a scowling face in a balaclava and the words “England get out of Ireland”.

Kneecap manager Dan Lambert has said repeatedly when contacted: “There’s journalism and then there’s the News Letter Belfast. Nobody from Kneecap will be providing comment to your 'paper’, ever. Free Palestine!”

Mr Lambert also added “hasta la victoria siempre,” a Spanish phrase meaning “ever onward to victory” that is closely associated with communist guerrilla Che Guevara.

In statements on Twitter however, the group said it is facing “a coordinated smear campaign”.

“We do not give a f**k what religion anyone practices,” it said.

“We know there are massive numbers of Jewish people outraged by this genocide [in Gaza] just as we are. What we care about is that governments of the countries we perform in are enabling some of the most horrific crimes of our lifetimes – and we will not stay silent. No media spin will change this.

“Our only concern is the Palestinian people – the 20,000 murdered children and counting.”