More Kneecap gigs cancelled after ‘kill your MP’ controversy

The largest body representing Jews in the UK have called for Glastonbury to cancel the group’s planned performance.

In a statement, the Board of Deputies of British Jews said the rap trio’s remarks had “caused great concern both within the UK Jewish community and wider society”.

Speaking on RTÉ’s Prime Time on Tuesday, the band’s manager said “moral hysteria” had taken hold and that the band are being held to a higher moral standard than politicians.

Daniel Lambert claimed a “concerted campaign” against the group is “solely about de-platforming artists”.

“It’s about telling the next young band, both through the music industry and through the political class, that you cannot speak about Palestine,” he said.

A number of other artists have signed a joint statement in support of Kneecap.

Fontaines DC, Annie Mac, Bicep, Massive Attack and Christy Moore are among the artists who signed the open letter by Kneecap’s record label, Heavenly Recordings.

The statement said there had been a “clear, concerted attempt to censor and ultimately deplatform” the band.

It accused “senior political figures” in Westminster and the UK media of being “openly engaged in a campaign to remove Kneecap from the public eye”.

“As artists, we feel the need to register our opposition to any political repression of artistic freedom,” the statement added.

“In a democracy, no political figures or political parties should have the right to dictate who does and does not play at music festivals or gigs that will be enjoyed by thousands of people.”

On having gigs cancelled, the band’s manager said: “It’s not for us to worry, it’s for us to have the strength of conviction that we did the right thing.”

He added that going to Coachella was the right thing to do, and “all of this has emerged from that”.

TV personality Sharon Osbourne called for the band’s US work visas to be revoked after their performance at the Coachella music festival in California earlier this month, where they described Israel’s military action in Gaza as a US-funded genocide.

Scheduled appearances at Hurricane and Southside festivals, also in Germany, were cancelled last week.

A gig at the Eden Project in Cornwall has also been cancelled.

On Tuesday, an Eden Sessions Limited spokesperson said: “Ticket purchasers will be contacted directly and will be fully refunded.”

The band are set to support Fontaines DC at Boucher Playing Fields, Belfast, in August.

Speaking to BBC Radio Ulster’s The Nolan Show, Belfast city councillor Jim Rodgers of the Ulster Unionist Party said “serious consideration should be given” on whether the concert should go ahead.

“I’ve already spoken to some of the council officers and I’m hoping that the necessary action will be taken. We have to lead by example,” he said.

“We would be sending out the wrong message if we were to allow this group to go ahead with their event.”

The Democratic Unionist Party has called for an emergency city council meeting.

“Citing concerns over ‘dangerous rhetoric,’ glorification of terrorism, and incitement to violence, we insist such acts should not be platformed on Council-owned land,” the party said.

A Belfast City Council spokesperson said: “Use of the venue for these events is managed via a legal agreement between the council and the promoter. Events programming remains a matter for the organisers.

“Any matter that an elected member wishes to raise would be considered by the relevant committee and full council.”

Kneecap are an Irish-speaking rap trio who have courted controversy with their provocative lyrics and merchandise.

The group was formed in 2017 by three friends who go by the stage names of Mo Chara, Móglaí Bap and DJ Próvaí.

Their rise to fame inspired a semi-fictionalised film starring Oscar-nominated actor Michael Fassbender.

The film won a British Academy of Film Award (Bafta) in February 2025.

Last week, a video emerged of the west Belfast trio at a November 2023 gig appearing to show one person from the band saying: “The only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your local MP.”

The daughter of the Conservative MP David Amess whose father was stabbed to death at a constituency surgery called for Kneecap to apologise.

In a statement on X, the band said that “an extract of footage, deliberately taken out of all context, is now being exploited and weaponised, as if it were a call to action”.

They also called some of the backlash a “smear campaign” and said it was “a transparent effort to derail the real conversation” away from their messages of “love” and support for Palestine.

They added: “To the Amess and Cox families, we send our heartfelt apologies, we never intended to cause you hurt.”

On Tuesday, the husband of murdered MP Jo Cox called on Kneecap to give a “real apology”.

Brendan Cox, whose wife was killed in June 2016, said this was “only half an apology”.

None of the members of Kneecap have been charged with any offences.