“Kill your MP”: Northern Irish rap group Kneecap in turmoil
A “F*ck Israel” slogan projected at the Coachella festival, followed by the unearthing of controversial comments made on stage, has plunged the Belfast trio into a heated debate across the Channel. In both Northern Ireland and London, the press is divided over the limits of freedom of expression applied to artists.
“This is getting out of hand,” exclaims The Times . Just a month ago, “Kneecap were a trio of rebellious, funny rappers, beloved by connoisseurs but largely ignored by the general public,” notes Will Hodgkinson, the London newspaper’s music critic. “Their bilingual lyrics, delivered at breakneck speed in English and Irish, cover everything from drug-fueled parties to their desire to see Northern Ireland free from British rule,” reports the BBC .
In the space of a few days, everything has changed. The Belfast-based band has been the subject of disapproving editorials and outraged political statements since Monday, April 28. The Eden Sessions music gatherings, scheduled for July in southwest England, have decided to withdraw their invitation to the band. “That's up to the organizers to decide,” declared Labour Home Secretary Yvette Cooper regarding their presence at the famed Glastonbury Festival at the end of June. Finally, the Conservative leader is calling for legal action against the three Northern Irish twenty-somethings.
The reason for this slump? Two videos unearthed from the Inter archives
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