Kneecap threatens legal action against critics after calls to axe Glastonbury set
Irish rap group under counter-terror probe over pro-Hamas slogans and anti-MP chants
Controversial Irish republican rap group Kneecap has threatened to sue music industry figures who reportedly lobbied Glastonbury organisers to remove the band from this year’s line-up over pro-terrorism comments.
The trio, named after a paramilitary method of torture, is currently under investigation by UK counter-terrorism police after videos surfaced of members shouting, Up Hezbollah, up Hamas” and “Kill your local MP” during performances in 2023 and 2024.
The Metropolitan Police confirmed on Monday that a man was interviewed under caution in Belfast on Sunday, 18 May, as part of an ongoing inquiry into “potential offences” relating to the videos. “The investigation is now being carried out by officers from the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command,” a spokesperson said.
Footage from London gigs at Kentish Town Forum and other venues, where the slogans were allegedly shouted, has been referred to the Counter Terrorism Internet Referral Unit for assessment. Police said they had “grounds for further investigation” based on the material reviewed.
Kneecap’s legal team, Phoenix Law, has now issued a formal letter to individuals accused of urging Glastonbury to drop the group, describing the intervention as “untrue and defamatory”.
The band allege that the correspondence was shared among over 30 recipients and later leaked to them.
The letter accuses industry figures of attempting to “monopolise [their] status within the industry” and exert “concerted pressure” on Glastonbury organisers to silence the group. “Such a direct and coordinated approach seeks to create a chilling effect upon the wider music industry,” it states.
It demands a “formal and unequivocal apology” or face civil proceedings for reputational damage. “We cannot allow false statements to be asserted dressed up as statements of fact,” the letter says.
Kneecap has already been dropped from several festivals this summer, including the Eden Project concert series. However, others – such as Wide Awake Festival in south London – have defended the booking, citing artistic freedom.
During a recent performance at Coachella, the band projected the slogans “F*** Israel, Free Palestine” and “Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people” onto the stage backdrop – drawing widespread condemnation.
The group has previously been accused of glorifying the IRA, Hamas and Hezbollah and of making antisemitic and violent comments during live shows. They deny supporting terrorism and say their remarks have been taken out of context.
In a public statement, the group said: “Establishment figures, desperate to silence us, have combed through hundreds of hours of footage and interviews, extracting a handful of words from months or years ago to manufacture moral hysteria.”
“Let us be unequivocal: we do not, and have never, supported Hamas or Hezbollah. We condemn all attacks on civilians. We also reject any suggestion that we would seek to incite violence against any MP or individual.”
Glastonbury Festival has not yet commented on whether the group will remain on its schedule.
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