Dozens of music artists have rallied around Kneecap as genocide-apologists seek to bring the group down for opposing Israel’s war crimes in Gaza. And as British police start investigating Kneecap videos, Massive Attack in particular slammed politicians for “strategically concocting moral outrage over the stage utterings of a young punk band”, insisting:
Kneecap are not the story. Gaza is the story. Genocide is the story… And the silence, acquiescence and support of those crimes against humanity by the elected British Government is the real story.
They also stressed:
Solidarity with all artists with the moral courage to speak out against Israeli war crimes, and the ongoing persecution and slaughter of the Palestinian people.
The establishment “attempt to censor and ultimately deplatform” Kneecap
An open letter from Kneecap’s record label has received the support of artists like Paul Weller, Thin Lizzy, Pulp, and Lowkey. It highlighted the:
clear, concerted attempt to censor and ultimately deplatform the band
It added that:
senior political figures in Britain have been openly engaged in a campaign to remove Kneecap from the public eye, with veiled threats being made over their scheduled performances at gigs, outdoor events and music festivals, including Glastonbury.
And it opposed this attempt at political censorship.
These artists, including Paul, stand for Freedom of Expression.
If you're an artist and would like your name added, please get in touch with Heavenly Recordings. pic.twitter.com/cFPkQlNb06
— Paul Weller (@paulwellerHQ) May 1, 2025
Condemn ACTUAL GENOCIDE, or shut the fuck up
Massive Attack’s own message was more scathing. It said:
If senior politicians can find neither the time, nor the words to condemn, say, the murder of fifteen voluntary aid workers in Gaza, or the illegal starvation of a civilian population as a method of warfare, or the killing of thousands & thousands of children in the same territory, by a state in possession of the highest precision weapons on earth; how much notice should a music festival take of their moral advice on booking performing acts?
It also highlighted that:
we are hyper aware of the both the human cost of abject political silence, and the commercial implications of publicly expressing solidarity with an oppressed people
They admitted that “language matters”, and that “there’s no scope for flippancy or recklessness”, but argued that genocide-apologists raging against Kneecap’s words while “obfuscating or even ignoring a genocide happening in real time (including the killing of journalists in unprecedented numbers)” takes away any moral authority they may have.
Massive Attack 👏👏👏👏👏 pic.twitter.com/6QychuRmwv
— KNEECAP (@KNEECAPCEOL) April 30, 2025
Kneecap: ‘Don’t let them derail the real conversation’
Pro-Israel agitators reported Kneecap to the police over a member of Kneecap apparently saying “up Hamas, up Hezbollah” last year. But Kneecap seems to have little interest in particular religious ideologies, instead wanting to unite the world. It simply condemns decades of Israeli oppression of Palestinians, firmly, while calling Israel a “terrorist state“. It does believe resistance against this is justifiable, emphasising that “resistance is not terrorism”. It has, however, clarified that:
we do not, and have never, supported Hamas or Hezbollah. We condemn all attacks on civilians, always. It is never okay.
And it slammed genocide-apologists for their:
transparent effort to derail the real conversation.
It added:
They want you to believe words are more harmful than genocide.
But it stressed:
At least 20,000 children in Gaza have been killed. The British government continues to supply arms to Israel, even after scores of NHS doctors warned Keir Starmer in August that children were being systematically executed with sniper shots to the head. Instead of defending innocent people or the principles of international law, the powerful in Britain have abetted slaughter and famine. This is where real anger and outrage should be directed towards.
KNEECAP STATEMENT:
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… pic.twitter.com/qZht5532Zf
— KNEECAP (@KNEECAPCEOL) April 28, 2025
Kneecap are also under fire because of video footage apparently showing a member saying “the only good Tory is a dead Tory”. Regarding this, the group said:
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.
It apologised for causing any hurt here, and insisted its message is “one of love, inclusion, and hope”. And it ended by saying:
The real crimes are not in our performances; the real crimes are the silence and complicity of those in power.
Featured image via the Canary
