Keir Starmer’s spokesman says that the Prime Minister “utterly rejects the views expressed by this group”.
Downing Street has labelled the apology from rap trio Kneecap to the families of murdered MP’s Jo Cox and David Amess as “half-hearted”.
Counter Terror Police have launched an investigation after a video of the band at a gig – in November 2023 – resurfaced. It allegedly shows one of its members saying: “The only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your local MP.”
Another clip from November 2024 allegedly shows a band member shouting “up Hamas, up Hezbollah,” in Kentish Town Forum and a Hezbollah flag on display.
Keir Starmer led the condemnation of the band, saying their comments were “completely unacceptable”.
Kneecap clapped back in a statement where they said subject of a “coordinated smear campaign”.
The band issued a recent statement overnight stating: “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.”
They also apologised: “To the Amess and Cox families, we send our heartfelt apologies, we never intended to cause you hurt.”
Responding to the statement, the prime minister’s spokesman said: “It is half-hearted. We completely reject in the strongest possible terms the threats they have made to MPs. It’s right that police are looking into these videos.”
