Kneecap apology 'screams of damage limitation' says MP after group says comments 'taken out of context' and they are all about 'love'

The publicly-funded Belfast rap trio had issued their statement in the wake of a week-and-a-half of controversy surrounding videos which had surfaced that show a member shouting “up Hamas, up Hezbollah” while draped in a Hezbollah flag, and telling a crowd “the only good Tory is a dead Tory – kill your local MP”.

Kneecap’s US tour in the autumn is now in jeopardy, as are a number of other concerts on this side of the Atlantic.

In a statement issued late last night, the group apologised to the families of murdered MPs Jo Cox and David Amess (though did not mention the families of MPs killed by republicans during the Troubles), and declared that “we do not, and have never, supported Hamas or Hezbollah”.

But it also said “establishment figures” are whipping up “moral hysteria” over their comments, and that the remark about killing MPs had been “deliberately taken out of all context” (though it did not say what the missing context was).

Speaking to BBC Good Morning Ulster this morning, DUP MP Carla Lockhart said: “For me, a forced apology doesn't undo the fact they thought it was acceptable to say such mindless things in the first place.

"It very much screams of 'sorry because they were caught'…

"I know the Amess family spoke out yesterday and called for that apology, and I welcome that for them. But it does scream very much of damage control.

"I took the opportunity yesterday to write to the US Department of Homeland Security and Canadian Border Services Agency to carefully review any applications for entry and to take any necessary steps to prevent their planned tour from proceeding."

She added that “over the course of the last number of days we've seen [people] from all political parties people calling on them not to be given a stage in the future, and for public funding to cease" (though Sinn Fein, which has been very supportive of the group, and the SDLP, have been silent).

Another person reacting to the Kneecap apology/clarification is commentator Mairia Cahill.

She posted a lengthy video showing Kneecap member Mo Chara wrapped in the assault rifle flag of Hezbollah while shouting “up Hamas, up Hezbollah” (before bandmate Moglai Bap leads the crowd on a chant of “Maggie’s in a box” – a reference to Margaret Thatcher who died of a stroke in 2013).

Ms Cahill told her 5,300 followers: “Hard to take this out of context.”

Among the reactions on Twitter were the following:

Wee Kels (@KellyMatshall, 4,500 followers): “That's not innocent at all they know exactly what they are saying, it should have been left at free Palestine.”

Jorg (@Hthep666, 400 followers): “They are in bother… if they don't apologise looks bad… if they do they lose edginess and let's be honest have no talent to fall back on.”

Billy Morton (@MrBillyMorton, 250 followers): “Wrapped in a Hezbollah flag, chanting ‘Up Hamas, Up Hezbollah’, I think the context is crystal clear, and it's absolutely disgusting.”

Bart Lad (@BartLad69, 4,100 followers): “Right... You just tripped and fell into that Hezbollah flag draped around you while you shouted ‘Up Hamas, Up Hezbollah’… Also sharing a photo of social media reading ‘voice of Hezbollah’...”

Bill Moon (@BigBillMoon, 12,200 followers): “‘We do not, and have never, supported Hamas or Hezbollah...’ What about that video where you clearly shout your support for both Hamas and Hezbollah?”

SaintedSinner (@sinner_sainted, 2,800 followers): “You're mostly ceasefire babies cosplaying as some kind of veteran Republicans (only 1 of you was born pre ceasefire) and another was only 2 when the BA was signed.

“You've got your following mostly because of your ‘controversial’ media appearances (and tbh that's where I heard about yas first. Not always a good sign of musical talent).

"And this is a good example of both. Not long ago Republicans would stand by their words and take a trip to the slammer as a mark of pride.”

Zina Rakhamilova (@itsmezina__, 3,100 followers) wrote: “How does waving a Hezbollah flag at your concert send a message of love?”

Oren Barsky (@orenbarsky, 49,000 followers): “Listen, just because no one cared about your music and you decided to go political to gain an audience – doesn’t mean anyone cares about your opinions either. In a few years, no one will even remember you. Get back to knowing your real place.”

Others were supportive, such as:

Aisha (@Aishalifett, 4,200 followers): “This is the Zionists’ core strategy: to trap you in defending your position rather than condemning the ongoing genocide. These calculated attacks on @KNEECAPCEOL won’t stop—just another wave of baseless allegations designed to silence and corner them.”

Dr Rahmeh (@doctor_rahmeh, 9,600 followers): “Keep going lads, the targeting dies down and they move on to their next target—all while slaughtering Palestinians and getting no condemnation from our government whatsoever. Thank you for speaking up. Saoirse Don Phailistín.”

Charlie Currie (@CharlieCurrie12, 2,700 followers): “The overwhelming majority of those condemning KNEECAP are the same ones supporting what is going on in Gaza. These are the same kind of cohorts that did little to stop Apartheid in South Africa. The same class of people who were outraged when Bobby Sands was elected MP.”

Kneecap’s full statement is as follows:

They want you to believe words are more harmful than genocide.

Establishment figures, desperate to silence us, have combed through hundreds of hours of footage and interviews, extracting a handful of words from months or years ago to manufacture moral hysteria.

Let us be unequivocal: we do not, and have never, supported Hamas or Hezbollah. We condemn all attacks on civilians, always. It is never okay. We know this more than anyone, given our nation's history.

We also reject any suggestion that we would seek to incite violence against any MP or individual. Ever. An extract of footage, deliberately taken out of all context, is now being exploited and weaponised, as if it were a call to action.

This distortion is not only absurd - it is a transparent effort to derail the real conversation.

All two million Palestinian people in Gaza are currently being starved to death by Israel.

At least 20,000 children in Gaza have been killed. The British government continues to supply arms to Israel, even after scores of NHS doctors warned Keir Starmer in August that children were being systematically executed with sniper shots to the head.

Instead of defending innocent people or the principles of international law, the powerful in Britain have abetted slaughter and famine.

This is where real anger and outrage should be directed towards.

To the Amess and Cox families, we send our heartfelt apologies, we never intended to cause you hurt.

Kneecap’s message has always been — and remains — one of love, inclusion, and hope. This is why our music resonates across generations, countries, classes and cultures and has brought hundreds of thousands of people to our gigs.

No smear campaign will change that.

Suddenly, days after calling out the US administration at Coachella to applause and solidarity, there is an avalanche of outrage and condemnation by the political classes of Britain.

The real crimes are not in our performances; the real crimes are the silence and complicity of those in power.

Shame on them.