Kneecap band: Speculation persists about gigs in Belfast and Glastonbury after three more events cancelled in Germany

It comes after one of the Belfast rap band appeared to call for Conservative MPs to be killed and one member appeared to shout ‘up Hamas, up Hezbollah’ in gig video footage.

Both organisations are classed as proscribed terrorist organisations in the UK – and in many other countries – and it is a criminal offence to support them in the UK.

Video footage has also surfaced appearing to show one member of the group shouting: ‘The only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your local MP.’

The Metropolitan Police is assessing all the footage.

​Kneecap – named after the IRA-style shooting of the knees – have since apologised for the comments and said the comments had been “exploited and weaponised”.

In a social media post, the group said they “reject any suggestion that we would seek to incite violence against any MP or individual”.

They said they have “never supported” Hamas or Hezbollah, and speaking to the families of murdered MPs Sir David Amess and Jo Cox, they said: “We never intended to cause you hurt.”

The families of both MPs said they do not believe the apology was genuine.

The band has also drawn criticism from Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Tory leader Kemi Badenoch.

Kneecap is set to perform on Belfast City Council property in August – on Boucher Playing Fields.

Former lord mayor, UUP alderman Jim Rodgers, says it is uncertain whether the performance will go ahead.

Asked if it should, he told the News Letter: “No, definitely not. On the basis of what has been said, which is absolutely disgraceful. If it is to go ahead, you're just condoning what these people are standing on.”

A spokesperson for the council said elected members may raise the matter during a full council meeting tomorrow, Thursday 1 May.

They added: “Elected members granted permission to MCD Productions in June 2024 to hold up to six concerts at Boucher Road Playing Fields during a four-week period between mid-August and mid-September in 2025, 2026 and 2027.

“Use of the venue for these events is managed via a legal agreement between the council and the promoter. Events programming remains a matter for the organisers.

“Any matter that an elected member wishes to raise would be considered by the relevant committee and full council.”

Planned gigs at Hurricane and Southside festivals in Germany were cancelled last week as well as a gig at the Eden Project in Cornwall on Tuesday.

The BBC reported today that gigs in Hamburg, Berlin and Cologne have now also been pulled.

The band is also due to play at Glastonbury in Somerset this summer, but organisers have not yet said if it their performance will go ahead.

Speaking on RTÉ's Prime Time on Tuesday, the band's manager Daniel Lambert said: “At every point [the band members] have the absolute conviction that they are doing the right thing and they stand on the right side of history.”

Pressed on whether it was appropriate for anyone to say ‘Up Hamas’ in any context, given that many Palestinians are victims of the group also, Mr Lambert argued that the broader political context is being ignored.

He said the band is being held “to higher moral account than politicians who are ignoring international law”.

Mr Lambert rejected claims the band had incited violence against politicians, saying the remark was taken out of context and should be compared to comments made by comedians.

Asked if the band were worried about their upcoming performance at Glastonbury festival being cancelled, Mr Lambert said: “It's not for us to worry. It's for us to have the strength and conviction that we did the right thing.”

When invited to comment by the News Letter, the band’s manager sends the same message each time.

“There’s journalism and then there’s the News Letter Belfast,” he says. “Nobody from Kneecap will be providing comment to your ‘paper’, ever. Free Palestine! Hasta la victoria siempre. Dan.”