Concerts canceled Terror investigation launched against Northern Irish rappers
"Kill your MP" and "Long live Hamas, long live Hezbollah". The Northern Irish group Kneecap comes under investigation for alleged remarks. Concerts in Europe are canceled.
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- Northern Irish rap group Kneecap are being investigated by British counter-terrorism police over alleged calls for violence and Islamist slogans; videos show statements such as "Kill your MP" and "Long live Hamas".
- As a result of the investigations, concerts by the band in several European cities were canceled.
- Politicians are calling for a general ban on performances.
The British anti-terror police are investigating the Northern Irish rap trio Kneecap for allegedly calling for the murder of MPs and glorifying Hamas and Hezbollah.
This was announced by a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police at a press conference, according to the British news agency PA.
The background to the case are comments allegedly made at concerts in London in November last year. Videos of these are circulating on the internet.
They show Conservative MPs being told on stage: "Only a dead Tory is a good Tory" and "Kill your MP". In another video, it is allegedly heard: "Long live Hamas, long live Hezbollah."
Concerts in Germany canceled
Several of the group's performances were canceled after the allegations came to light. According to the ticket website Eventim, concerts announced for September in Cologne, Berlin and Hamburg have been canceled. Opposition leader Kemi Badenoch of the Conservative Party called for the group to be banned, while others demanded that their planned appearance at the legendary Glastonbury music festival be canceled.
In a statement a few days ago, the rappers rejected the accusations. They had in no way incited violence. Nevertheless, they apologized to the families of Jo Cox and David Amess. The two MPs had been murdered in recent years.
The rappers distanced themselves from Hamas and Hezbollah, which are classified as terrorist organizations by the EU and others. Otherwise, they were largely unapologetic. According to their account, the controversial statements are intended to serve as a pretext to silence legitimate criticism of the Gaza war.
Solidarity from other musicians
Several other artists expressed their solidarity with Kneecap, including the groups Pulp, Primal Scream as well as singer and songwriter Paul Weller and dozens of others. In a democracy, politicians or political parties should not be allowed to decide who performs at festivals and concerts, they demanded.
The band "Massive Attack" condemned the murders of Cox and Amess and warned that "of course language plays a role".
At the same time, they accused politicians and journalists of hypocrisy who "strategically conjure up moral outrage over the statements of a young punk band on stage while covering up or even ignoring a genocide."
