Kneecap break silence after John Swinney demands they are axed from TRNSMT festival
Kneecap have hit back after John Swinney demanded they were axed from the TRNSMT festival line-up. The First Minister called for the Belfast rap trio to be banned from the festival after footage emerged appearing to show them calling for the deaths of Tory MPs. In the video from the November 2023 concert, one band member appeared to say: 'The only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your local MP.' Swinney condemned the alleged comments by Kneecap as 'completely and utterly unacceptable' and said: 'I cannot see how they can perform at TRNSMT.' The Metropolitan Police also said that another video from last year is being assessed. That footage appeared to show a band member shouting "up Hamas, up Hezbollah" at a performance in London. The Belfast group is set to play at the Glasgow festival on July 11 but Swinney demanded a rethink. He told journalists at the STUC Congress in Dundee: 'The language that you have put to me is completely and utterly unacceptable. There is no way that is acceptable. It's not acceptable in a debate about free speech. It's just completely beyond the pale. "That makes it incredibly difficult for a band like Kneecap to perform at TRNSMT because I think they have crossed a line, to be honest. It would be unacceptable for me for the band to perform on such a stage given the fact their comments are so beyond the pale.' He added: 'I think TRNSMT have got to respond to that.' However, in response, Kneecap have now issued a furious statement insisting the footage has been taken out of context. In a statement posted on X, the Belfast group comprising Liam Og O Hannaidh, Naoise O Caireallain and JJ O Dochartaigh said they 'reject any suggestion that we would seek to incite violence against any MP or individual'. They said footage had been deliberately taken out of context and was being 'exploited and weaponised'. The band has claimed it is facing a co-ordinated smear campaign after speaking out about the conflict in Gaza. Kneecap insisted it has never supported Hamas or Hezbollah and it condemned all attacks on civilians. And the trio also apologised to the families of murdered MPs Sir David Amess and Jo Cox. 'To the Amess and Cox families, we send our heartfelt apologies, we never intended to cause you hurt,' said the statement. 'Kneecap's message has always been — and remains — one of love, inclusion, and hope. This is why our music resonates across generations, countries, classes and cultures and has brought hundreds of thousands of people to our gigs. No smear campaign will change that. ' Labour MP Ms Cox was stabbed and shot in 2016 while Conservative Sir David was stabbed to death in 2021. Sir David's daughter Katie criticised the band after the footage emerged. On Monday, Sir Keir Starmer's official spokesman said the Prime Minister believed the recent comments attributed to the band in the footage were 'completely unacceptable' and 'condemns them in the strongest possible terms'. Mrs Badenoch said Kneecap's 'anti-British hatred has no place in our society' and that it is 'good' the police are looking into the allegations, adding: 'Kneecap's glorification of terrorism and anti-British hatred has no place in our society. After the murder of Sir David Amess, this demands prosecution.' Mrs Badenoch blocked a government grant to the bilingual Belfast group while she was business secretary. But in November last year, Kneecap won a discrimination challenge over the decision to refuse them a £14,250 funding award after the UK government conceded it was 'unlawful'. Downing Street indicated there would be no further public funds directed towards Kneecap. 'I don't think organisations such as that should be receiving taxpayers' money,' the Prime Minister's spokesman said. Meanwhile, Labour MP David Taylor has written to the organisers of the Glastonbury Festival, urging them to remove Kneecap from this year's line-up. Kneecap also faced criticism in the US over its recent performance during the major music festival Coachella, held in California. At Coachella, Kneecap displayed messages which read: 'Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people'; 'It is being enabled by the US government who arm and fund Israel despite their war crimes'; and 'F*** Israel. Free Palestine'. In a lengthy statement addressing the series of controversies, the band said: 'They want you to believe words are more harmful than genocide. 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, 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. This distortion is not only absurd – it is a transparent effort to derail the real conversation. 'All two million Palestinian people in Gaza are currently being starved to death by Israel. At least 20,000 children in Gaza have been killed. The British government continues to supply arms to Israel, even after scores of NHS doctors warned Keir Starmer in August that children were being systematically executed with sniper shots to the head. 'Instead of defending innocent people or the principles of international law, the powerful in Britain have abetted slaughter and famine. This is where real anger and outrage should be directed towards.' The statement added: 'Suddenly, days after calling out the US administration at Coachella to applause and solidarity, there is an avalanche of outrage and condemnation by the political classes of Britain. The real crimes are not in our performances; the real crimes are the silence and complicity of those in power. Shame on them.' Counter-terrorism police are assessing footage reportedly from the November 2024 gig in London's Kentish Town Forum and the November 2023 concert. On Sunday, a Metropolitan Police spokesman said: 'We were made aware of a video on April 22, believed to be from an event in November 2024, and it has been referred to the counter-terrorism internet referral unit for assessment and to determine whether any further police investigation may be required. We have also been made aware of another video believed to be from an event in November 2023.' He also said the force 'are assessing both to determine whether further police investigation is required'. The counter-terrorism internet referral unit (CTIRU) is based within the Met's Counter Terrorism Command which is dedicated to identifying terrorist and extremist material online. Police will carry out an investigation if the material breaches the law. The band released a critically acclaimed autobiographical film last year which was nominated for an Oscar. The Record contacted DF Concerts - which runs TRNSMT - for comment.
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