Group’s Controversial Performances
After the group has undergone intensive analysis in recent days, the Kneecap manager went into its defense, saying that they were “standing on the right side of history” with their missiles.
Following performances at the Belfast rap during Coachella earlier this month, they reported that the organizers were “blinded” by the obvious political nature of their sets.
The first weekend, a live stream of their set was cut after they expressed support for free Palestine and included a provocative anti-Margaret Thatcher message. “Not only did it be,” they said later, referring to the Thatcher refrain, “Nash exchange of messages on the US-supported Genocide in Gaza, one way or another, never appeared on the screens.”
Political Commentary at Concerts
During the second weekend, the group provided its own live broadcast, and political commentator Hassan Piker streamed his set on Twitch. Slogans such as “Fuck ISRAEL,” “FREE PALESTINE,” “Israel performs genocide against the Palestinian people,” and “provided by the US government, which arms and finances Israel, despite their war crimes,” were displayed on the screen while they performed.
These California concerts sparked challenges from Sharon Osbourne to revoke their work visas. The group responded by labeling the contradiction a “coordinated smear” against their efforts to “highlight the ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people.”
In the weeks following, artists from the “hood” faced numerous calls from politicians to remove them from several upcoming festival dates, including Glastonbury and Trnsmt, after the counter-terrorist register assessed footage from the group’s performance in London last year.
Footage from this show appears to show a member of the group shouting “Up Hamas, Up Hezbollah” while displaying the Hezbollah flag. Both Hamas and Hezbollah are classified as terrorist organizations by the UK Government, making it a crime under the 2000 Terrorism Act to “invite support for a banned organization.”
On Monday (April 28), Kneecap took to X/Twitter to issue a statement denying allegations of support for Hamas and Hezbollah, stating, “Let’s be clear: we do not and have never supported Hamas or Hezbollah. We condemn all attacks on civilians and have never promoted violence against any individual.”
Following this, it was reported that the police began evaluating a second video from one of their concerts, which allegedly shows the group calling for the death of conservative officials. In response, Labor Party MP David Taylor and Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney publicly called for the removal of the group from several summer festival performances.
The Joe Cox Foundation, established in memory of the late Labor MP killed in 2016, also issued a statement on X/Twitter condemning the group for clearly crossing the line “from political expression to incitement to violence.”
Similarly, the daughter of the late Conservative MP David Amess, who was killed in 2021, told BBC she was “stunned by the stupidity of individuals or groups to make such dangerous, violent rhetoric,” adding that the group should apologize to all those offended.
10 Downing Street has since responded to the company’s statement, with an official spokesperson from the Prime Minister labeling it “indecisive” and stating, “They must apologize.”
They stated, “We strongly reject any comments made against Members of Parliament and the intimidation, as well as, obviously, the situation in the Middle East,” adding, “It is appropriate for the police to review these videos.”
Planned performances at Eden Sessions on July 4, as well as at the German festivals Hurricane and Southside, have now been canceled, with the group promptly announcing a replacement event on the same day at Plymouth Pavilion, along with three headline shows in Germany.
After the backlash, their manager Daniel Lambert defended the group during an appearance on RTÉ Prime Time on Tuesday evening (April 29), stating, “Children are starving, and we’re spending six or seven days talking about Kneecap,” adding, “We spent less than a day discussing fifteen executed doctors.”
The group referred to the killings of doctors in X/Twitter in March, stating, “This weekend Israel executed 15 doctors—they buried them in a mass grave and then buried their ambulances with bulldozers,” calling Israel “deeply evil.”
This weekend, Israel executed 15 doctors – they buried them in a mass grave, and then buried their ambulances with bulldozers.
The most abnormal and dangerous nation on Earth.
Israel is deeply evil pic.twitter.com/ydxp3nv3ry
– Knight Cup (@kneecapceool) March 31, 2025
On March 23, 14 ambulance workers and one UN employee were killed after criticism directed at the Israeli military. According to BBC News, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed their troops opened fire believing they were under threat, while an investigation revealed multiple shortcomings, including operational misunderstandings and violations of orders.
Speaking with Miriam O’Challagan, Lambert remarked that “at every moment, the group has an absolute conviction that they are acting correctly, and they are on the right side of history.”
“The video did not present the full picture,” he continued. “There was a coordinated campaign coming from the United States to scrutinize everything the Kneecaps have ever said.”
“Why has this happened because of what they said at Coachella? What they said there was correct. This is a message aimed at the government that supports genocide in Gaza.”
“What really frightened Israel, and what spurred this campaign, is the reaction of young people in America,” Lambert added. “Young people who do not want to support genocide and have empathy for the Palestinian people.”
When O’Challagan asked if he claimed that “Hamas, Hezbollah” was always right, Lambert pointed to a “moral hysteria and moral indignation,” stating: “You judged the group as having a higher moral standing than a political agenda that ignores international law.”
“Why are the Palestinians where they are today? They are where they are because their rights have been widely denied as people,” he continued.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3C17Uct-3Y
O’Challagan emphasized that the popularity of the group comes with significant responsibility and questioned the use of allegedly irresponsible language that incited violence against officials.
“The idea that this incited violence against officers is preposterous,” Lambert responded. “This was taken out of context. They are performers; this was a part of their act. If you took a few words from a comedic act by numerous comedians worldwide and released it, you could do this with countless individuals.”
Lambert added that the group remains unconcerned about the outcome of their upcoming performance at Glastonbury Festival, stating: “We are not worried. For us, we must have the strength and conviction that we did the right thing.”
Amid discussions of the group’s performances at Glastonbury, Trnsmt, and other European festivals, they remain unaffected. Earlier this week, their large Belfast show with Fontaines DC sold out in just over half an hour, despite calls from the DUP to boycott.
https://www.nme.com/news/music/children-are-starving-to-death-and-were-spending-six-or-seven-days-talking-about-kneecap-says-manager-3859621?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=children-are-starving-to-death-and-were-spending-six-or-seven-days-talking-about-kneecap-says-manager
