Knee Group’s Statement on Recent Controversies
The company of Knee has recently commented on Hamas, Hezbollah, violence against deputies, and more following an investigation by counter-terrorism authorities.
Yesterday (April 28), the Knee faced calls from politicians to withdraw from several upcoming festival performances, including Glastonbury and Trnsmt. This came to light earlier this week when it was revealed that counter-terrorism police are assessing footage from a London show by the group from last November.
Footage from that event appears to show a member of Knee shouting “Up Hamas, Up Hezbollah” while displaying the Hezbollah flag. Both Hamas and Hezbollah are listed as prohibited terrorist organizations by the Great Britain Government. It is also considered a crime under the 2000 terrorism law to “invite support for a forbidden organization.”
Police Investigation and Political Reactions
Subsequent reports indicated that police are examining another video from one of their concerts, allegedly showing a group inciting violence against conservative deputies. In response, Labour Party MP David Taylor and Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney publicly called for Knee to be dropped from several summer festival lineups.
Late last night (April 28), the Knee shared a statement on X/Twitter addressing their alleged support for Hamas, Hezbollah, and incitement of violence against MPs: “They want you to believe that words are more harmful than genocide.”
The trio clarified: “Let’s be unequivocal: we do not support Hamas or Hezbollah. We condemn all attacks on civilians. We were calling for action.”
In a recent interview with NME, Mo Char’s Group expressed their inability to comment on past events before their involvement, but shared sympathy for the struggles of previous generations in Ireland. “But we do not support violence, as it no longer makes sense,” they stated.
Response to Accusations
In their recent statement, the group labeled the alleged distortion of their messages as “absurd” and a transparent effort to derail a real conversation. They argued that “real anger and indignation should be directed” at influential figures in Britain who have “incited massacre and suffering,” asserting that the British government continues to supply weapons to Israel despite warnings from NHS doctors regarding the systematic execution of children with sniper rifles.
Knee statement:
They want you to believe that words are more harmful than genocide.
The figures of the establishment, desperately trying to make us shut up, combed hundreds of hours of videos and interviews, extracting a few words from months or years ago to make morality … https://t.co/qzht5532zf
– Knight Cup (@kneecapceool) April 28, 2025
The group also reached out to the Amess and Cox families, who recently condemned their actions as “incitement of violence,” stating: “We send our heartfelt apologies; we never intended to hurt you.”
Reaffirming their stance, they wrote: “The message of the Knee has always been – and remains – one of love, inclusion and hope. This is why our music resonates across generations, countries, classes, and cultures, bringing hundreds of thousands to our concerts. No campaign will change this.”
“The real crimes lie not in our speeches; the real crimes are the silence and complicity of those in power. Shame on them,” they concluded.
The mention of the Amess and Cox families relates to Labour MP Jo Cox and Conservative MP David Amess, both tragically murdered in 2016 and 2021, respectively. Following the videos of the Knee’s concerts being scrutinized in the counter-terrorism investigation, the Jo Cox Foundation issued a statement on X/Twitter, condemning the group for “clearly” crossing the line from political expression into incitement to violence.
Similarly, the daughter of the late MP Adams expressed to BBC her shock at such “dangerous, violent rhetoric,” adding that the group should apologize to all those offended.
In light of the counter-terrorism investigation, the Knee shared a graphic stating: “18 months of footage of genocide that were not investigated by British counter-terrorism police, captioned ‘some facts’.”
This month also saw controversy at Coachella, where their performance led the crowd to chant in memory of the late Conservative Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
The Coachella performances have sparked calls from Sharon Osbourne for their work visas to be revoked. Two acts at the festival reported that the organizers were caught “off guard” due to the overtly political nature of their performances, including displaying missing persons’ forecasts on the screen behind them and encouraging the crowd to chant “free, free Palestine.”
The trio described these attacks as a “coordinated smear” against their efforts to raise awareness of what they describe as the ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people.
“For over a year, we have used our shows to expose the complicity of the British and Irish governments in war crimes. Recent attacks against us, primarily originating from the United States, are based on deliberate distortions and lies,” they commented, indicating that “they are taking measures against some of these malicious efforts.”
“The reason why the Knee is being targeted is simple – we are speaking the truth, and our audience is growing,” they added. “Those who attack us aim to silence criticism of mass slaughter, using false accusations of anti-Semitism to distract and obscure the genocide, which a vast number of Jewish people, like us, also oppose.” The group concluded by stating, “We are concerned that the governments of the countries we perform in are complicit in some of the worst crimes of our time – and we will not be silent. No media narrative will change that.”
As for their appearances at Glastonbury, Trnsmt, and other European festivals, they remain unaltered. Meanwhile, their large show in Belfast alongside Fontaines DC sold out in just over half an hour, despite calls from DUP members to cancel it.
https://www.nme.com/news/music/kneecap-speak-out-on-hamas-hezbollah-violence-against-mps-after-distortion-and-avalanche-of-outrage-and-condemnation-3859084?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=kneecap-speak-out-on-hamas-hezbollah-violence-against-mps-after-distortion-and-avalanche-of-outrage-and-condemnation
