Widower of Jo Cox says Kneecap 'kill MPs' statement 'was not taken out of context' as he dismisses apology as 'not particularly genuine'
The widower of murdered MP Jo Cox has reacted to Kneecap’s statement of apology/clarification over the now-infamous call to “kill your local MP”.
Brendan Cox said that Kneecap’s claim that the remark was “taken out of context” is incorrect, and that the apology does not seem “particularly genuine”.
Jo Cox, Labour MP for Batley and Spen in Yorkshire, was killed in 2016 by a right-wing fanatic who stabbed and shot her in the street.
The killing was followed five years later by the murder of Tory MP for Southend West in Essex David Amess, who was stabbed by an Islamist fanatic while meeting constituents.
Prior to that, Irish republicans murdered four MPs over a decade-and-a-half during the Troubles: Airey Neave (1979), Robert Bradford (1981), Anthony Berry (1984) and Ian Gow (1990), and tried to murder more with such crimes as the 1984 Brighton Bombing and the 1991 mortar attack on Downing Street.
It emerged at the weekend that one of the rap crew’s members had told an audience at a November 2023 gig in London that “the only good Tory is a dead Tory – kill your local MP”.
Late last night, the group released a statement saying: “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… 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.”
Mr Cox wrote on Twitter in response: “I went back to check whether the ‘kill your local MP’ comment was taken out of context. It wasn’t.
"It’s good they have apologised – especially to David’s family – but being ‘politically radical’ doesn’t excuse condoning violence or those who perpetuate it.
"They need to realise that their platform and popularity comes with responsibility. I hope their apology is a genuine realisation that supporting anti-democratic violence is fundamentally wrong in all cases. And using it as a prop for easy cheers on stage is no excuse.”
He later went on to tell BBC Talkback it was "only half an apology".
He said: "It's fine to say that you're sorry for it, but the way that they have actually spoken about it is to suggest that it's a conspiracy, that they have been targeted unfairly and for me that then doesn't come across as unfortunately particularly genuine...
“The apology that they've given I don't think has grappled enough with the gravity of what they said.”