Irish language hip hop trio KNEECAP were escorted from the stage before the end of a packed gig in the UCD Clubhouse Bar on Belfield campus last night, 7th March.
The hip hop group, made up of Gaeilgeoir rappers Móglaí Bap, Mo Chara and DJ Próvaí, were escorted from the UCD Clubhouse Bar through the backdoor by Clubhouse bouncers. In the smoking area, a member of the trio was seen kicking over a rope barrier, before being accompanied to the UCDSU corridor by sabbatical officers present at the gig. Students in the Clubhouse chanted 'tiocfaidh ár lá' while the group left the stage.
In an email statement to The University Observer, UCDSU President Barry Murphy said that 'Kneecap were brought in as part of Seachtain na Gaeilge in conjunction with Bord na Gaeilge. They agreed in advance of the gig to abide by [UCD's Equality, Diversity & Inclusion policy] and UCD's Dignity and Respect policies. When these policies were broken, they were removed from stage.'
The group, which recently received a three day ban from Facebook for content posted on the site, have also found themselves being condemned by South Belfast's Christopher Stalford MLA, a member of Arlene Foster's Democratic Unionist Party over 'Brits Out' chants which were recorded at Belfast's Empire Music Hall on 28th February. Stalford described the chanting as "hate-filled" and as "outrageous behaviour."
Responding to Stalford, KNEECAP wrote in a tweet that the chanting was "about Brexit." It is understood that, prior to their UCD performance, members of KNEECAP were advised not to engage in any similar chanting.
KNEECAP have been touring across Ireland throughout February and have recently played An Spailpin Fanach, Cork; Roisin Dubh, Galway; Workman's Club, Dublin and Pharmacia in Limerick. Their song 'C.E.A.R.T.A' was pulled from RTE's Raidio na Gaeltachta schedule in 2017 for its references to drugs and the Police Services Northern Ireland (PSNI).