logo
Sex Pistol's John Lyndon condemns Kneecap over ‘kill your MP' video

Sex Pistol's John Lyndon condemns Kneecap over ‘kill your MP' video

Yahoo07-05-2025

Sex Pistols frontman John Lydon has condemned Kneecap after a video of a member appearing to shout 'kill your local MP' resurfaced.
The Irish rappers have become embroiled over their apparent on-stage shouts of 'up Hamas' and 'kill your local MP', which are now being investigated by the Metropolitan Police.
The band has previously been compared to the Sex Pistols, whose provocative acts during their heyday included singing God Save the Queen on a Thames barge during Queen Elizabeth II's Silver Jubilee.
Frontman Lydon, once known by the stage name Johnny Rotten, has dismissed the comparison.
Speaking on ITV's This Morning, he said: 'If you advocate the death of another human being, you have no case whatsoever. You are my enemy from here on in, for the rest of your mediocre existence.
'You shouldn't be talking like that, you shouldn't be making enemies about your fellow human beings.'
Johnny Lyndon has dismissed comparisons between Kneecap and the Sex Pistols - Michael Ochs Archives
Kneecap faced calls to be removed from the US after a set at the Coachella festival in California which they used to project a message stating 'f--- Israel'.
In response, Sharon Osbourne all for the 'revocation of Kneecap's work visas' in the US.
Following the gig, footage emerged of a band member apparently shouting 'up Hamas, up Hezbollah' at a London show in 2024.
Further footage surfaced from 2023 of a band member shouting: 'The only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your local MP.'
Credit: X/@DannyMMorris
The shouts were condemned by the families of murdered MPs Jo Cox and Sir David Amess. Kneecap later apologised to the families, but denied wrongdoing.
Their gigs are still being investigated by a Metropolitan Police anti-terror unit.
There have been high-profile calls for Kneecap gigs, including a planned set at Glastonbury, to be cancelled in light of this investigation.
Dan Jarvis, a Home Office minister, warned Glastonbury organisers to 'think very carefully' about who performs at the festival amid calls for Kneecap to be removed from the line-up.
Responding to an urgent question on the issue, Mr Jarvis described the group's remarks as 'dangerous and irresponsible'.
There have been calls for high-profile Kneecap gigs, including a set at Glastonbury, to be cancelled - Luke Brennan/Redferns
Amid the furore, Kneecap released a statement on their views, saying: 'Let us be unequivocal – we do not, and have never, supported Hamas or Hezbollah. We condemn all attacks on civilians, always. It is never okay. We know this more than anyone, given our nation's history.
'We also reject any suggestion that we would seek to incite violence against any MP or individual. Ever. An extract of footage, deliberately taken out of all context, is now being exploited and weaponised, as if it were a call to action.'
Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Unions pile pressure on Reeves to avoid cuts and impose wealth taxes
Unions pile pressure on Reeves to avoid cuts and impose wealth taxes

Yahoo

timean hour ago

  • Yahoo

Unions pile pressure on Reeves to avoid cuts and impose wealth taxes

Labour's biggest financial backers are piling pressure on Rachel Reeves to avoid making cuts at next week's spending review and instead pursue wealth taxes to fund Britain's public services. Polling commissioned by the Trades Union Congress (TUC) reveals a majority the public (54 per cent) back taxes on big corporations and the most wealthy individuals as an alternative means of raising revenue. Just 28 per cent oppose the move. TUC general secretary Paul Nowak urged the government to 'stay on track' and build on the 'positive start it made at last year's budget by providing sustained funding for our public services and infrastructure' – warning that people are 'fed up with a system where those with the broadest shoulders don't pull their weight'. It comes after deputy prime minister Angela Rayner pressed Ms Reeves to consider eight wealth taxes rather than try to impose cuts on departments. The civil war within the government over next Wednesday's spending review has seen holdouts from Ms Rayner's Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government as well as Yvette Cooper's Home Office. The chancellor is expected to unveil a swathe of spending cuts as she attempts to walk the tightrope between delivering on the party's election promises and sticking within the bounds of her self-imposed fiscal rules. The TUC has also joined criticism of the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) over whether its flawed predictions are having a negative impact on spending plans. The OBR produces forecasts twice a year alongside the autumn budget and spring statement, which are used by the government to make fiscal policy decisions. But Mr Nowak said it is now 'time to review the role of the OBR and its fiscal assumptions to give the UK greater flexibility to invest in our future', with the TUC arguing that short-term changes in forecasts should not be driving long-term government decision making. Mr Nowak said next week's spending review 'can be the next key step in the government's plan to rebuild Britain and deliver industrial renewal' as 'communities are still crying out for meaningful change after more than a decade of Tory austerity and neglect'. 'The global outlook is challenging, but leaving our decimated public services without sufficient investment would risk both future growth and public trust,' he added. 'The message from voters is clear. They want the government to protect and rebuild our public services,' he said. 'If that means asking the wealthiest to pay more, the public are behind it. People are fed up with a system where those with the broadest shoulders don't pull their weight.' The warning from the TUC – which represents 5.3 million people in 47 member unions – will pile pressure on Labour, a party which has historically been heavily dependent on the funding it receives from trade unions. In 2024, Labour declared £2.4m from union backers – significantly less than the £5m it declared from unions in 2019 after Unite refused to endorse the party's manifesto. The poll of more than 2,000 adults, conducted by Hold Sway for the TUC, shows there is widespread frustration at the current amount of tax paid by the wealthiest in Britain. Nearly 6 in 10 (59 per cent) think the wealthiest do not pay their fair share – including 74 per cent of Conservative-to-Labour switchers and 72 per cent of those strongly considering switching from Labour to Reform. More than half (56 per cent) think big businesses do not pay their fair share of tax, while just 31 per cent think they do. The polling showed that two-thirds (67 per cent) of voters back an annual wealth tax for estates above £10m, including 88 per cent of Tory-to-Labour switchers; and 81 per cent of Labour voters now strongly considering Reform. Meanwhile, more than six in 10 (63 per cent) back a windfall tax on banks – including 85 per cent of Tory-to-Labour switchers, and 78 per cent of those Labour voters now strongly considering Reform. Some 50 per cent back raising capital gains tax, including 75 per cent of Tory to Labour switchers, and 67 per cent of those Labour voters that are now strongly considering Reform. Just 26 per cent oppose a capital gains tax hike. The Hold Sway poll surveyed 2,000 adults in Great Britain online between 30 May and 2 June. A HM Treasury spokesperson said: 'At the Budget, the chancellor increased investment in Britain's security, health and economy. We did that at the same time as protecting taxes on working people. This week, the chancellor will announce further plans to invest in Britain's renewal.'

Body found by police investigating disappearance of woman
Body found by police investigating disappearance of woman

Yahoo

time2 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Body found by police investigating disappearance of woman

A body has been found by police in the search for a Colombian woman who disappeared after leaving her east London home. Yajaira Castro Mendez, 46, was reported missing to the Metropolitan Police on May 31 having left her home in Ilford on the morning of May 29. Her family has been told about the discovery of the body, which was found during searches in Hampshire's Bolderwood area on Saturday, but formal identification has yet to be made. Detective Inspector Jay Gregory, who is leading the investigation, said: 'This is a very sad development in the investigation and our thoughts are very much with Yajaira's family and friends at this incredibly difficult time. 'We continue to appeal to anyone with information that could assist the investigation to please come forward.' A post-mortem examination has yet to take place. The police said a man who was known to Ms Castro Mendez appeared in court on Friday charged with her murder and was remanded into custody. Her disappearance was initially treated as a missing person investigation led by local officers. The investigation was then transferred to the Met's Specialist Crime Command on June 5, after a range of extensive further inquiries suggested she had come to harm. Police were at a scene in Gray's Inn Road, Camden, on Friday as part of their investigation.

Vegetable sculpture contest features a squash Donald Trump and a papal 'cornclave'

time2 hours ago

Vegetable sculpture contest features a squash Donald Trump and a papal 'cornclave'

LONDON -- Vegetable likenesses of Donald Trump and Dolly Parton and a papal 'cornclave' went on display Saturday at the Lambeth Country Show, an urban take on a country fair held annually in London's Brockwell Park. The two-day show features sheep-shearing, livestock competitions, food, music and a vegetable sculpture contest that has attracted national renown for its quirky creativity. This year, several sculptures recreated the recent papal election, including one featuring cardinals made of maize, titled 'Cornclave.' Other entries included Irish rap trio Kneecap in potato form, 'Cauli Parton' in a movie-inspired tableau titled '9 to Chive,' a vegetable 'Mo Salad' likeness of Liverpool soccer star Mo Salah and animated icons Wallace and Gromit made from butternut squash. Trump also got the butternut squash treatment, while some entries referred to local politics. In Lambeth, as in other parts of London, local authorities have turned to holding large concerts and festivals in parks as a way to raise money, to the chagrin of some neighbors. 'Wolf Hall' actor Mark Rylance, one of a group of local residents opposed to big events in Brockwell Park, is represented as 'Mark Rylunch,' with an apple-carved head and satirical signs branding him a NIMBY (not in my backyard) campaigner. 'Every year, this is what we get so excited about, is the vegetable sculptures,' said Country Fair regular Maddy Luxon. 'It's just so unique and just so witty and we love the political ones.' 'And the puns,' said Marek Szandrowski, who was with her. 'The vegetable puns, definitely.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store