Have Kneecap gone too far with Tory death threats?

When the world is falling to pieces, the barrier between music and politics tends to follow suit. The more dire the situation, the more the creative space feels obliged to undertake a political stance. Belfast-born rap band, Kneecap, have certainly taken this philosophy to a whole new level, particularly after the recent investigation made by British counterterrorism into the group’s latest gigs. Kneecap was accused of calling for the death of Conservative MPs, pronouncing “the only good Tory is a dead Tory”.

Originating in West Belfast in Northern Ireland, Kneecap – comprising the aliases Mo Chara, Móglaí Bap and DJ Próvaí – have established their reputation as vehemently anti-establishment. Their career was ignited by Móglaí and a friend spray-painting the word ‘cearta’ (meaning ‘freedom’) on a bus stop in support of an Irish Language Act march. Whilst Móglaí fled the scene after police showed up, his friend was arrested and spent the night in a cell. After documenting these events in their song “C.E.A.R.T.A”, the song was played on Irish radio, and the proverbial rest is history. Their lyrics span topics from drugs to the freeing of Northern Ireland from British rule, and their recent concert statements have been incendiary towards the genocidal treatment of Gazans by the Israeli government.

This contempt emerges from a place of shared history of struggle. During the Irish War of Independence, several members of the Black and Tans, a controversial police force recruited by the British to suppress Irish insurgency, were sent to Palestine to carry out their policing duties. The Black and Tans were notorious for their brutality and guerilla warfare. It is no surprise, then, that Irish scorn towards the British has now seen Irish scorn towards Israel; they feel a duty to support those facing oppressive rule like they once did.

“Controversy creates change. But when controversy threatens its oppressor, that is when it weakens its cause. Threats are seldom political statements: they remain threats.”

Contempt for the right-wing Conservative Party has been long standing throughout the UK, undoubtedly spiked by Brexit and its successive incompetent Conservative cabinet members and leaders. However, Kneecap have certainly taken this to the next level with their calling for the death of Tory MPs. In light of Sir David Amess’ – the former Conservative MP for Southend West – murder in 2021, perhaps this was not the smartest move from the band. Although the group issued an apology to Amess’ wife, a line was certainly crossed.

Music is no stranger to being a vehicle of institutional frustration. The Cranberries, Marvin Gaye, Bob Dylan, The Isley Brothers, The Beatles: the list of artists who have crossed the perimeters that separate art and politics is infinite. Even British rapper Stormzy, with Shakespearean fervor, encourages us in his song ‘Vossi Bop’ to ‘f* the government, and f* Boris”.

Music, the art most representative of the human race, should be the main accommodator of freedom of speech. It should, therefore, absolutely dismantle the political barrier. What better way to generate awareness for a cause than disruption through metaphor? Music has been subverting since the beginning of comprehension; jazz, rap, hip-hop, disco, Motown all originated by breaking down oppressive racial frameworks. Disruption is the essence of progression.

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Controversy creates change. But when controversy threatens its oppressor, that is when it weakens its cause. Threats are seldom political statements: they remain threats. Kneecap’s demonstration of this should not have come at the expense of adopting hate speech, shouting to impressionable fans “up Hamas, up Hezbollah” in recent concert footage. It is of little matter that the group would almost certainly refrain from any actual physical harm. They have now given their opposition a ‘leg up’ by affiliating their defence of Palestine with violent intent.

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Kneecap is the classic example of when passion crosses the border into extremism. In teeing themselves up to publicly support terrorist groups in the name of justice, they have over swung into, ironically, promoting genocide. Their brief apology is not enough to reverse hate speech, and it is frustrating to see a vital cause be marginally tainted by compromised safety. Jeremy Corbyn should take heed of this.

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Maghrebi.org. Alisa Butterwick is a journalist and has a BA Honours degree from the University of Exeter. She is the Opinion Editor of Maghrebi.org. You can follow her on X: @AButterwick_.

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