Sinn Fein criticised over muted response to Kneecap 'kill your MP' comments when man is serving jail sentence for threatening Mary Lou McDonald

DUP MPs Carla Lockhart and Sammy Wilson both levelled the charge at the party, which has so far been muted in response to Kneecap's "kill your local MP" comment.

In reaction to that remark from a Kneecap member at a London gig, and another incident in which a member roared "up Hamas, up Hezbollah" from the stage while clad in the latter's flag, Sinn Fein economy minister Caoimhe Archibald said people should "be mindful of the language" they use.

The party also issued a statement saying "Sinn Fein stands firmly against the censorship of Kneecap" amid a police probe into the group and the cancellation of some of their gigs.

In March this year in Dublin, Richard McGreevy (29 and of Whitechurch Place in the city), was jailed for 27 months, plus another 15 suspended, over a rant he posted on TikTok at the time of the anti-immigration disturbances in the city.

In the video, McGreevy said Garda chief Drew Harris should be shot, and added: "See Mary Lou, I’ll shoot her myself for free."

In a victim impact statement read to the court, Mrs McDonald called the threat "real and chilling", adding: "I was afraid and angry. My family were enraged and afraid... The threat to shoot me 'for free' was the threat of a coward, designed to intimidate me and to encourage others to target me."

Ms Lockhart said Sinn Fein has shown a "failure to properly denounce" the comment at a Kneecap gig that "the only good Tory is a dead Tory – kill your local MP".

“This wasn’t satire," Ms McDonald told the News Letter. "It wasn’t edgy. It was a vile, dangerous chant calling for the murder of elected representatives.

"At a time when a man is serving a prison sentence for threatening to kill Mary Lou McDonald, Sinn Fein’s reluctance to condemn this outright is not just hypocritical, it’s disgraceful.

"The only response from the party has come from economy minister Caoimhe Archibald, who said she didn’t agree with the comments and urged artists to be 'mindful' of language. Woefully inadequate.

"This mealy-mouthed response speaks volumes. When it suits Sinn Fein, they demand full accountability. But when chants about killing MPs ring out from a stage, and when terrorism is glorified in song or in statue, their silence or soft words betray a disturbing double standard."

And Mr Wilson echoed this, saying: "I think their hypocrisy smacks you in the face. On the one hand, someone on the internet threatens someone from Sinn Fein, they want the full weight of the law being brought down on top of that person – including jail sentences.

"On the other hand when republicans encourage at a concert people to 'kill their MP', somehow or other you should forgive them, simply because they're republican.

"Kneecap's stuff does represent a real threat and they should be subject to the same kinds of sanctions as people who threaten Sinn Fein.

"And Sinn Fein, if they want to be consistent, should be demanding that.”

Sinn Fein was contacted but no response had been received at time of writing.

Kneecap’s profile has been on the rise since their autobiographical film premiered last August (made with £1.6m of UK public money).

Kneecap has since apologised for the “kill your MP” comment, but also says it was taken “out of context”. The group also denies that it supports Hamas and Hezbollah.