
Counter-terror cops won't prosecute Kneecap over ‘kill your MP' video that sparked furious backlash
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CONTROVERSIAL hip hop group Kneecap will not be prosecuted by terror cops over their "kill your MP" remarks.
The Irish band - who the BBC refused to broadcast live at Glastonbury yesterday - were subject of a terror probe by the Met Police.
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It related to a video which emerged last month calling for the death of British politicians.
The trio responded with a grovelling statement, insisting they would not incite violence against any individual.
And the Met Police has now said is will not proceed with the case for a number of reasons, including the "time elapsed between the events in the video and the video being brought to police attention".
The force said: "A thorough investigation has now been completed by detectives from the Counter Terrorism Command, which included interviewing an individual under caution and seeking early investigative advice from the Crown Prosecution Service.
"A range of offences were considered as part of the investigation.
"However, given the time elapsed between the events in the video and the video being brought to police attention, any potential summary only offences were beyond the statutory time limit for prosecution.
"Relevant indictable offences were considered by the investigation team and, based on all of the current evidence available, a decision has been made that no further action will be taken at this time."

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Daily Mail
20 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
BBC chiefs 'should face charges' over Glastonbury... Outrage grows after broadcast of vile 'death to Israeli soldiers' chants
BBC bosses should be prosecuted for broadcasting a vile anti-Semitic outburst at the Glastonbury festival, the Tory party said last night. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said the corporation 'appears to have broken the law' by transmitting a punk duo's calls for the deaths of Israeli soldiers. Top lawyer Lord Carlile said the BBC may have committed a criminal offence, while Sir Keir Starmer said the broadcaster had serious questions to answer. The growing backlash comes after the BBC live-streamed Bob Vylan's performance uninterrupted on its iPlayer site. It could now face an investigation into whether it has breached public-order laws. During Saturday's performance by the London-based pro-Palestinian duo, vocalist Bobby Vylan shouted 'Death, death to the IDF', the Israeli Defence Forces. He followed the chant, which was repeated by the audience, with 'From the river to the sea, Palestine... will be free' – regarded by many Jews as a call for Israel 's elimination. Broadcasting material calling for the death of an individual or group is an offence under the Public Order Act 1986. It carries a maximum sentence of seven years in prison. Detectives from Avon and Somerset Police, the force responsible for the policing of Glastonbury, are reviewing footage of the performance. It is understood that BBC director-general Sir Tim Davie would have to bear ultimate responsibility if the Crown Prosecution Service decided to take the matter further. Mr Philp said: 'It looks clear that Bob Vylan were inciting violence and hatred. 'They should be arrested and prosecuted – just like some of those who did the same during the riots last summer. 'By broadcasting the duo's vile hatred, the BBC appears to have also broken the law. I call on the police to urgently investigate and prosecute the BBC as well for broadcasting this. 'Our national broadcaster should not be transmitting hateful material designed to incite violence and conflict.' Bob Vylan were performing as a warm-up act for controversial Northern Irish rappers Kneecap – one of whose members is facing a terror charge for allegedly displaying a flag in support of the banned organisation Hezbollah. Sir Keir said there was no excuse for Vylan's 'appalling' hate speech. 'I said that Kneecap should not be given a platform and that goes for any other performers making threats or inciting violence,' he added. 'The BBC needs to explain how these scenes came to be broadcast.' Lord Carlile said people were free to make anti-Israel comments but when those comments spilled over into death threats, or something that sounded like death threats, the BBC had a responsibility not to broadcast unlawful material. The KC, who served as the Government's independent reviewer of terrorism legislation for ten years, added: 'I would be interested to know whether the BBC took legal advice and, if so, what that legal advice was. I'm very troubled they may have broadcast unlawful material under section 22 of the Public Order Act.' Glastonbury organiser Emily Eavis said: 'Their chants very much crossed a line and we are urgently reminding everyone involved in the production of the festival that there is no place at Glastonbury for anti-Semitism, hate speech or incitement to violence.' But lawyer Mark Lewis, who specialises in libel cases, said the apology had come too late. He added: 'It is a bit rich that they try to lock the stable doors after the horse has bolted. Glastonbury was warned what was likely to happen and now it is likely there will be legal consequences.' Former Tory culture secretary Nadine Dorries said the BBC had 'serious questions to answer', adding: 'It is quite right that lawyers are asking whether the broadcasting of the chants made on the stage at Glastonbury have crossed the line into a criminal offence. Police should seek swift advice and take action immediately.' Dame Priti Patel, former home secretary and current Shadow Foreign Secretary, added: '[The BBC] no longer hold the respectability to claim the mantle of our national broadcaster.' Former Labour minister Lord Austin said: 'This weekend Glastonbury was turned into a sickening hate rally, and chants for death were beamed into millions of homes by the BBC. Bob Vylan, who formed eight years ago in London, refuse to reveal their real names because of what they call the 'surveillance state' Glastonbury had said all were welcome at the festival but added it 'does not condone hate speech or incitement to violence of any kind from its performers' 'Tim Davie must now launch an urgent investigation and fire those found to be responsible. He must understand this is a very dark day for the corporation that calls its very purpose and future into question.' Former director of BBC television Danny Cohen told The Daily Telegraph: 'The police should investigate, as should the BBC's board, led by chairman Samir Shah. How much longer can they tolerate the failings of BBC leadership on anti-Semitism and bias?' A spokesman for the Campaign Against Antisemitism said: 'The BBC has surpassed even itself in endangering British Jews by airing this violent chanting. 'We are formally complaining to the BBC over its outrageous decision not only to broadcast Bob Vylan's calls for death and destruction, but also to place that segment on iPlayer along with Kneecap's performance, which the BBC knew in advance that it should not air. Our national broadcaster must apologise for its dissemination of this extremist vitriol, and those responsible must be removed from their positions. 'That includes Tim Davie... who has had more than enough chances to stop this abuse of licence fee payers' money to platform bigots and extremists.' Toby Young, president of the Free Speech Union, raised the case of childminder Lucy Connolly, who was jailed for tweets she made about deporting asylum seekers and burning down hotels housing them after the Southport killings of three girls at a dance studio. She is currently serving a 31-month sentence. He added: 'She caveated what she said by adding 'for all I care', whereas he [Vylan] clearly does care and wants every member of the IDF, which includes virtually the entire population of Israel, to be killed, so the case for prosecuting him is stronger. But to be clear, neither should be prosecuted.' Bob Vylan's performance was later removed from iPlayer. A BBC spokesman said: 'Some of the comments made during Bob Vylan's set were deeply offensive. 'During this live stream on iPlayer, which reflected what was happening on stage, a warning was issued on screen about the very strong and discriminatory language. We have no plans to make the performance available on demand.' Avon and Somerset Police were approached for comment.


Times
24 minutes ago
- Times
Glastonbury broadcasting failure that spread despair — and fear
At the weekend tens of thousands chanted for the death of Jews. This did not happen in Iran. It did not happen at a far-right rally. It happened in Britain and was broadcast live by the BBC. Britain's Jewish community is feeling a mixture of shock, despair and fear. Racist experiences since October 7 have left many Jews feeling distressed and isolated but these events at Glastonbury are particularly threatening. Can you recall any other occasion in our country when a crowd of that size chanted for anyone to be killed? Yet this was broadcast live by the BBC as entertainment and permitted by the Eavis family who run Glastonbury and claim that its values are peace and inclusivity. The BBC should be held to account at the highest level for these failings and Glastonbury should now be understood to be the home of popular chants for the deaths of Jews and racist stories about Zionists told to cheering crowds. One of the key questions that BBC executives must answer is why the live broadcast of Bob Vylan's performance was not immediately cut once his racist rant began. It takes seconds to take this step and yet the BBC chose to keep broadcasting. So why was it deemed acceptable for such explicit racism and threats of violence to be broadcast across the nation? This is the most serious broadcasting failure by the BBC in recent memory and it is particularly concerning because it involved an issue of racism. The corporation has a habit of holding internal inquiries that report back with soft conclusions. It is time that that changed and Tim Davie, the BBC's director-general, was held directly accountable. • BBC staff 'ashamed' over Glastonbury 'death to IDF' chants Yet it is the crowds themselves that the Jewish community will be disturbed by most. A mass display of violent intent against Jews took place at Glastonbury. Murderous hate was celebrated. It happened without repercussions and was then celebrated by progressives on social media who believe they are anti-racist but indulge in Jew-baiting. What happened at Glastonbury tells us one thing very clearly: racism against Jews is now the only permissible form of racism. It is impossible to imagine that kind of mass racist chanting being directed at any other minority group. If it had been there would rightfully be a national outcry, with politicians of all parties speaking up in droves. Yet this is where we are. We have reached a very dark place. Jews in Britain are openly wondering what has happened to our country. They can see that a racist sickness has developed in our culture. They feel it in the workplace, in public spaces and in the NHS. They wonder why more is not being done. The growth of antisemitism in Britain is now a national emergency. Only time will tell whether Britain's leaders have the courage to arrest it before it is too late. Danny Cohen was director of television at the BBC from 2013 to 2015


South Wales Guardian
an hour ago
- South Wales Guardian
Kate Nash says she would love to collaborate with Kneecap
It came after police said on Saturday that they are assessing videos of comments made by the Belfast rap trio, as well as punk duo Bob Vylan, during their performances at the Glastonbury Festival. The group are known for their provocative lyrics and merchandise, as well as their championing of the Irish language and support for Palestine. 'I love Kneecap. I'd love to collaborate. I love collaboration, actually,' Nash told the PA news agency. 'I really, really think collaboration is such an amazing and important part of being an artist, because you just learn every time you collaborate with someone different. 'So I just did a duet with Sprints, because they covered Foundations, and that was really fun.' Nash, 37, added: 'Kneecap would be amazing to collaborate with. My mum's from Dublin and I think that the way they use their political platform is really important.' She continued: 'I don't think English people really understand their (Ireland's) history at all, they just don't know it. 'So I think there's an opportunity to educate people about England and Ireland's history, and sort of being half-English, half-Irish myself I have quite a good understanding of that, but I didn't learn it at school. 'There's so many amazing musicians to collaborate with. I love Amyl And The Sniffers.' Before their performance on the West Holts Stage, several politicians called for Kneecap to be removed from the line-up and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said their performance would not be 'appropriate'. During their set, member Naoise O Caireallain said: 'The Prime Minister of your country, not mine, said he didn't want us to play, so f*** Keir Starmer.' In reference to his bandmate's upcoming court date the rapper, who performs under the name Moglai Bap, said they would 'start a riot outside the courts', before clarifying: 'No riots, just love and support, and support for Palestine.' Bobby Vylan, of rap duo Bob Vylan, had earlier led crowds in chants of 'Free, free Palestine' and 'Death, death to the IDF (Israel Defence Forces)'. According to reports, Bobby Vylan is called Pascal Robinson-Foster, 34, from Ipswich. Robinson-Foster is listed on Companies House as being the director of Ghost Theatre Records, which is operated by Bob Vylan. Sir Keir said the latter chant was 'appalling hate speech' and urged the BBC to explain how the scenes were broadcast. Speaking on the politics of Glastonbury, Nash said: 'What's the history of Glastonbury? It's about anti-corporation, Greenpeace. 'It is ultimately a political festival, and people come here to find togetherness, community, a sense of hope and to watch people play amazing shows, and to have their lives changed, to be inspired. 'I think that we're seeing a lot of really scary things in the world right now, and people want to feel like they can see what they feel on stage being voiced, and I think that politicians need to get a grip.' Asked about artists who say they do not want to be political, she said: 'Certain people, you can't escape the politics of existing in the world. 'If you are a woman and you're like, 'I'm not political', I'm like, 'You are, you are. Everything about your life is political, whether you want it to be or not'. 'I think if you're a very privileged, white, rich man, sure you don't want to be political, or you don't have to be. 'But also, do you even have to comment that you don't want to be? I'm not really sure it helps. 'I think just don't be, then, in a way, if you just want to be a pop band, just be a pop band. 'That's not how I was raised. So it's really difficult for me to understand somebody saying, 'I don't want to be political'.' It came after The 1975 frontman Matty Healy said the band did not want their legacy to be 'one of politics' during their Friday night headline slot. 'I think we don't need more politics, we need more love and friendship,' he said. Nash headlined Glastonbury's Left Field stage on Saturday evening and performed a secret set on the BBC Introducing stage on Sunday. She has released several studio albums and is known for songs including Mouthwash and Foundations, the latter of which peaked at number two in the UK singles chart.