OTwo Editor Alice Keegan breaks down the various and most recent controversies surrounding Kneecap’s open and unapologetic support of Palestine, and delves into the wider issue of the intersection of music and politics.
Guess who’s back on the news, as the band would say themselves.
Irish rap group Kneecap emerged victorious on Friday at the Woolwich Crown Court when the case against member Mo Chara (Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh) relating to an alleged terror offence was thrown out. The West Belfast native was accused of displaying a flag in support of Hezbollah in London in November 2024, but the group repudiated these claims and continued to speak out in support of Palestine and condemn the actions of Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli government.
Speaking outside the Court after being cleared of all charges, Mo Chara addressed the crowd; "We said we would fight you in your court and we would win. Today we have. If anyone...is guilty of terrorism, it's the British state. Free Palestine. Tiocfaidh ár lá." Later, in an exclusive interview with Virgin Media, the rapper reinforced that the massive media focus should be redirected to the genocide, occurring as we speak in Gaza.
This was far from the only time Kneecap in particular were targeted due to their political views. They faced yet another disproportionate sanction when they were banned from entering Canada, following their US Visas being revoked during the summer. While they are far from the only artist to speak up against the atrocities being committed, they have undoubtedly provoked the biggest reaction in the public sphere.
Many other artists have shown solidarity with Kneecap, particularly after they were removed from the Sziget Festival lineup and Fontaines DC’s Grian Chatten made his stance clear when he declared the case against Mo Chara a "witch hunt". In other news about Irish artists, Grooveline's Tarach Ó Snodaigh has recently returned from a refugee camp in the West Bank where he spent two weeks volunteering.
But musicians voicing their opinions on politics is not a new phenomenon. From Bob Dylan's 'Masters of War' in his legendary 1963 album, The Freewheeling Bob Dylan to Irish front man of the Boomtown Rats, Bob Geldof, shedding a light on the devastating famine in Ethiopia in the 1980s, music and politics have been intertwined, likely for as long as both have existed, from protest songs to musicians at press junkets.
However, artists are often met with criticism for voicing their views, attracting comments that "politics has no place in music" and musicians should "stick to what they know". They are told that their work is performative, another avenue in which they can push the sales of their music, generate a bit of airplay with some fleeting controversy. Debates are held as to whether it is a musicians place to speak on issues faced across the world, and more specifically in this current climate, whether they should encourage crowds at their gig to chant "Free Palestine" (and "free Mo Chara" if you were at any of Kneecap's concerts over the summer).
There have also been repeated instances of censorship- the BBC, in their coverage of Glastonbury Festival made the disastrous decision to broadcast British punk group Bob Vylan instead of our favourite Irish language rappers, resulting in their front man encouraging the crowd to chant "Death, Death to the IDF", while Irish folk-punk group The Mary Wallopers' set at Victorious Festival in Portsmouth was cut short after they displayed a Palestinian flag on stage.
Nonetheless, some of the biggest and most impactful protest singers in the history of music, Joan Baez, Pete Seeger and Nina Simone have been credited with changing the political landscapes in which they were living, specifically the turbulent time of the civil rights movement in America and the Vietnam War. 1985's Live Aid remains one of the most important moments in music history, proving that real change can be invoked by musicians, even in just their spotlighting of tragedies being suffered across the world. In just the past few weeks CMAT's EURO-COUNTRY served as a startling reminder of the negative reverberations of the Celtic Tiger and subsequently we can all thank "Dunboyne's Diana" for her role in dashing Bertie Ahern's dreams of the Áras.
Nothing changes if nothing changes. Gaza is being decimated, yet the international leading politicians seemed too concerned with their personal agendas to speak out and take action, choosing time and time again complicity in the face of genocide. Amidst all the discussions about whether Kneecap should be allowed to perform at this festival, or be granted entry into that country, it is easy to lose sight of where all this talk has originated from. However, the group have maintained that their primary concern is drawing attention to the suffering of citizens in Palestine, and they have proven in their cancelling of shows and taking on entire legal establishments that they are willing to lose money (over and over and over...) in doing so.
You can say music has no place in politics, but say it over the crowds waving flags at Electric Picnic or Glastonbury, or better yet, watch some old videos of civil rights marches in the 1960s, with protesters singing "We Shall Overcome".