UK
Kneecap named genocide – now they’re fighting censorship
By Richard Malley
“They want you to think words are worse than genocide” is how Kneecap — the Irish rap group — hit back at the media storm surrounding their recent shows. And in that one line they exposed something ugly and familiar: the hypocrisy dominating our public debate.
Moglaí Bap, Mo Chara, and DJ Próvaí (and their manager, Daniel Lambert) have said it from the start — they’re not the story. Gaza is. But, right on cue, the British press and political class shifted the spotlight. Away from a brutal war. Onto a few lines shouted on stage.
Kneecap’s rise — from pub gigs to Glastonbury and Coachella — has always been political. Balaclavas, Irish language lyrics, republican imagery, songs about drugs, cops, and disillusionment. They don’t hide who they are, or what they stand for.
At Coachella, huge banners behind them read “Fuck Israel” and “Free Palestine.” They’ve said again and again: Israel is committing genocide. The International Court of Justice has warned Israel it must take measures to prevent it. Organisations like Amnesty and Medecins Sans Frontieres have said it is happening. Crowds have echoed it. Supporters of Israel have struggled to shut it down. Then old clips resurfaced — a shout of “Up Hamas, up Hezbollah,” and a Hezbollah flag. No full context. No full story. But now Mo Chara faces charges under the Terrorism Act for that flag.
The reaction was instant — and furious.
Let’s be clear: supporting banned groups or calling for violence is serious. But Kneecap quickly said they don’t support Hamas or Hezbollah and they apologised directly to the families of murdered MPs Jo Cox and David Amess and subsequently said the “kill your local MP” clip was ripped from a longer performance and twisted for outrage. We haven’t seen the full footage. But the damage was done.
The same is now happening to Bob Vylan, who preceded them on the West Holts stage at Glastonbury recently. An outspoken critic of institutional police racism in London, and of Israel’s actions in Gaza. He chose to add the term ‘Death to the IDF’, the Israeli Army, to his chant of ‘Free Palestine’. Certainly a violent message and one that Glastonbury, the BBC and the Government itself has controversially condemned as antisemitism. But not as violent as the real-life deaths the IDF has dealt out to Palestinians; they are the army carrying out the genocide. It was the ICJ who asserted the right of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip to be protected from acts of genocide.
In both Kneecap and Bob Vylan’s cases, MPs piled in and events were cancelled.
Ask yourself: why this outrage, now?
Because violent language from others hasn’t caused this kind of meltdown. Tory donor Frank Hester said Diane Abbott “should be shot” and that she made him “want to hate all black women.” He’s still around. Still donating. Still platformed. Not banned. Not arrested.
Or Jess Phillips. She once told Jeremy Corbyn, “I won’t knife you in the back, I’ll knife you in the front.” She became a minister.
If those comments are brushed off as “just politics,” why is a rowdy gig treated like a threat to democracy?
The answer’s simple: Kneecap in particular make people uncomfortable. They speak Irish. They want a united Ireland. They don’t shut up about British colonialism. And they’re loud, unapologetic, and relentless on Palestine — a topic Westminster wants buried.
That’s why the government tried to block funding for a film about them. A judge had to overturn it. When Kneecap won, they gave the legal costs — £14,250 — to youth organisations in both nationalist Ballymurphy and loyalist Shankill. That’s not reckless. That’s deliberate. That’s solidarity.
What too many commentators miss is this: Kneecap aren’t fuelling sectarianism — they’re confronting it. They even brought out Young Spencer, a loyalist rapper from the Shankill, to perform with them in Belfast. More than mostpoliticians have ever done.
Still, festivals are caving. Eden Sessions, Plymouth Pavilions, TRNSMT — all cancelled. Green Man was pressured. None of them asked the band for their side of the story. Now Transport for London has banned adverts for Kneecap’s upcoming Wembley Arena gig. That’s not moral clarity. That’s cowardice. And it risks pushing away exactly the young people who keep live music alive.
And this isn’t just about Kneecap. They’re part of a wider wave. Fontaines D.C., the Mary Wallopers, Bob Vylan, Lambrini Girls — young, angry, political bands. They’re raising Palestinian flags on stage. Older artists like Paloma Faith, Paul Weller, Pulp,and Primal Scream have backed Kneecap too. Because in 2024, music is where political truth is being told. Not Parliament.
Musicians are saying what too many MPs won’t. And when they do, they’re attacked. Not because they’re wrong — but because they’re effective.
Yes, Kneecap are provocative. But this moment demands provocation. They’re doing what artists have always done: speaking out when power stays silent.
This isn’t about excusing bad judgment. It’s about seeing the bigger picture. When genocide is sanitised, and lyrics become the scandal — something’s broken.
Kneecap’s words might offend. But the real obscenity is the war they’re shouting about. Mass death. Mass displacement. And a political class that doesn’t want to talk about it and instead wishes to shut down the discussion
If we let outrage over a lyric drown out outrage over a massacre, we lose sight of what matters. And that’s exactly how the powerful want it.
- By Richard Malley
- If you support Labour Outlook’s work amplifying the voices of left movements and struggles here and internationally, please consider becoming a supporter on Patreon.
By Richard Malley
“They want you to think words are worse than genocide” is how Kneecap — the Irish rap group — hit back at the media storm surrounding their recent shows. And in that one line they exposed something ugly and familiar: the hypocrisy dominating our public debate.
Moglaí Bap, Mo Chara, and DJ Próvaí (and their manager, Daniel Lambert) have said it from the start — they’re not the story. Gaza is. But, right on cue, the British press and political class shifted the spotlight. Away from a brutal war. Onto a few lines shouted on stage.
Kneecap’s rise — from pub gigs to Glastonbury and Coachella — has always been political. Balaclavas, Irish language lyrics, republican imagery, songs about drugs, cops, and disillusionment. They don’t hide who they are, or what they stand for.
At Coachella, huge banners behind them read “Fuck Israel” and “Free Palestine.” They’ve said again and again: Israel is committing genocide. The International Court of Justice has warned Israel it must take measures to prevent it. Organisations like Amnesty and Medecins Sans Frontieres have said it is happening. Crowds have echoed it. Supporters of Israel have struggled to shut it down. Then old clips resurfaced — a shout of “Up Hamas, up Hezbollah,” and a Hezbollah flag. No full context. No full story. But now Mo Chara faces charges under the Terrorism Act for that flag.
The reaction was instant — and furious.
Let’s be clear: supporting banned groups or calling for violence is serious. But Kneecap quickly said they don’t support Hamas or Hezbollah and they apologised directly to the families of murdered MPs Jo Cox and David Amess and subsequently said the “kill your local MP” clip was ripped from a longer performance and twisted for outrage. We haven’t seen the full footage. But the damage was done.
The same is now happening to Bob Vylan, who preceded them on the West Holts stage at Glastonbury recently. An outspoken critic of institutional police racism in London, and of Israel’s actions in Gaza. He chose to add the term ‘Death to the IDF’, the Israeli Army, to his chant of ‘Free Palestine’. Certainly a violent message and one that Glastonbury, the BBC and the Government itself has controversially condemned as antisemitism. But not as violent as the real-life deaths the IDF has dealt out to Palestinians; they are the army carrying out the genocide. It was the ICJ who asserted the right of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip to be protected from acts of genocide.
In both Kneecap and Bob Vylan’s cases, MPs piled in and events were cancelled.
Ask yourself: why this outrage, now?
Because violent language from others hasn’t caused this kind of meltdown. Tory donor Frank Hester said Diane Abbott “should be shot” and that she made him “want to hate all black women.” He’s still around. Still donating. Still platformed. Not banned. Not arrested.
Or Jess Phillips. She once told Jeremy Corbyn, “I won’t knife you in the back, I’ll knife you in the front.” She became a minister.
If those comments are brushed off as “just politics,” why is a rowdy gig treated like a threat to democracy?
The answer’s simple: Kneecap in particular make people uncomfortable. They speak Irish. They want a united Ireland. They don’t shut up about British colonialism. And they’re loud, unapologetic, and relentless on Palestine — a topic Westminster wants buried.
That’s why the government tried to block funding for a film about them. A judge had to overturn it. When Kneecap won, they gave the legal costs — £14,250 — to youth organisations in both nationalist Ballymurphy and loyalist Shankill. That’s not reckless. That’s deliberate. That’s solidarity.
What too many commentators miss is this: Kneecap aren’t fuelling sectarianism — they’re confronting it. They even brought out Young Spencer, a loyalist rapper from the Shankill, to perform with them in Belfast. More than mostpoliticians have ever done.
Still, festivals are caving. Eden Sessions, Plymouth Pavilions, TRNSMT — all cancelled. Green Man was pressured. None of them asked the band for their side of the story. Now Transport for London has banned adverts for Kneecap’s upcoming Wembley Arena gig. That’s not moral clarity. That’s cowardice. And it risks pushing away exactly the young people who keep live music alive.
And this isn’t just about Kneecap. They’re part of a wider wave. Fontaines D.C., the Mary Wallopers, Bob Vylan, Lambrini Girls — young, angry, political bands. They’re raising Palestinian flags on stage. Older artists like Paloma Faith, Paul Weller, Pulp,and Primal Scream have backed Kneecap too. Because in 2024, music is where political truth is being told. Not Parliament.
Musicians are saying what too many MPs won’t. And when they do, they’re attacked. Not because they’re wrong — but because they’re effective.
Yes, Kneecap are provocative. But this moment demands provocation. They’re doing what artists have always done: speaking out when power stays silent.
This isn’t about excusing bad judgment. It’s about seeing the bigger picture. When genocide is sanitised, and lyrics become the scandal — something’s broken.
Kneecap’s words might offend. But the real obscenity is the war they’re shouting about. Mass death. Mass displacement. And a political class that doesn’t want to talk about it and instead wishes to shut down the discussion
If we let outrage over a lyric drown out outrage over a massacre, we lose sight of what matters. And that’s exactly how the powerful want it.
- By Richard Malley
- If you support Labour Outlook’s work amplifying the voices of left movements and struggles here and internationally, please consider becoming a supporter on Patreon.
The Erosion of Protest Rights is a Threat to Democracy Itself – Kim Johnson MP
By Kim Johnson
One of the fundamental pillars of a healthy democracy is the right of its citizens to protest – to raise our voices, take to the streets, and demand change. It’s how ordinary people have shaped the world for the better – from the suffragettes and the civil rights movement to striking workers and climate activists. But in recent years, that fundamental right has come under sustained attacks and has been systematically eroded.
The previous Conservative government did everything in its power to restrict the right to protest, introducing laws that criminalised people for standing up for what they believe in. Under their watch, people were arrested simply for holding placards or standing near a demonstration. This was a clear and chilling attempt to silence dissent, pushing us further into a dangerous new era of authoritarian policing.
The Tories introduced three sweeping anti-protest laws under a commanding legislative regime – the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022, the Public Order Act 2023, and the Serious Disruption Regulations 2023 – that together represent a concerted attack on civil liberties. Nowhere was this more blatant than in the draconian measures used to suppress peaceful protest. For generations, peaceful protest has been a vital force for positive change – from advancing civil rights to driving climate action. Social movements have always depended on the power of peaceful assembly to challenge the status quo – and they always will.
Recent examples show this tightening grip in action. MPs who have attended protests or raised concerns about protest rights have been questioned by police – sending a worrying message that even elected representatives are not immune from intimidation. Arrests of peaceful protesters have surged, often for minor or non-violent acts such as holding signs or standing in public spaces. These developments underscore the harsh reality that the right to protest is being methodically undermined.
I am proud to have stood on a platform of change – a promise to restore civil liberties, not to further curtail them. But despite Labour’s longstanding commitment to defending these rights, we have yet to see concrete legislative action to restore and protect the right to protest.
In opposition, we opposed those laws. So, why now in government are we not committing to reversing these measures. We must once again lead on this issue. We must repeal those authoritarian measures and enshrine the right to protest in law.
Although our recent amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill, which sought to enshrine the right to protest in law, was defeated in the Commons, the fight is far from over. As the Bill now moves to the House of Lords, we have an opportunity – and a responsibility – to push back. I will be working alongside civil liberties organisations, legal experts, and grassroots movements to build a broad and determined coalition for change.
Our focus now must be strategic and coordinated. We need to expose how existing police powers are already being used to restrict and condition protests – including the disproportionate policing of recent demonstrations. At the same time, we must challenge the introduction of new powers that threaten to further undermine the right to freedom of assembly and expression, disproportionately impacting marginalised communities and peaceful campaigners. These new provisions intensify the chilling effect already created by recent public order laws and lack any convincing justification.
This isn’t just a matter of legal technicalities. It’s about the kind of country we want to be. Do we want to live in a democracy where people can stand up to power – or one where they’re punished for trying? No government, of any political colour, should have the power to strip away such a fundamental democratic right. If this Labour government truly wants to be on the side of justice, then it must stand with those who fight for it.
Committing to this vital change is how we break with the legacy of anti-protest laws. It is how we shift the balance decisively away from authoritarianism and toward a freer, more democratic society. Protecting democracy means protecting the freedoms that make it possible. And it starts with the right to protest.
We must act now – before more voices are silenced. If we truly believe in progressive change, we must protect those who demand it. The right to protest is a precious cornerstone of our democracy, and it must be fiercely defended – now more than ever.
- Kim Johnson MP is the MP for Liverpool Riverside, you can follow her on Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram and Tik Tok.
- If you support Labour Outlook’s work amplifying the voices of left movements and struggles here and internationally, please consider becoming a supporter on Patreon.
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