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CMAT AND BRIAN Eno are among the latest musical acts to put their name to a statement calling for “artistic freedom of expression” after a “concerted attempt to censor and deplatform Kneecap”.
Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine, Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth, former U2 producer Howie B, and Super Furry Animals have also added their names to the list.
More and more every hour stand behind Kneecap 💚🤍🧡❤️🖤 pic.twitter.com/armFYCfpCl
— Daniel Lambert (@dlLambo) May 1, 2025
Meanwhile, former Manchester United footballer Eric Cantona has shared the statement to his Instagram stories.
Oh ah Cantona ⚽️ 🤝 https://t.co/a7vAMoYT2M
— KNEECAP (@KNEECAPCEOL) May 1, 2025
They join the likes of Christy Moore, Fontaines D.C., Paul Weller and Pulp in putting their name to the statement.
It comes as UK counter-terror police say they will investigate online videos allegedly showing the Belfast rap trio calling for the death of British MPs and shouting “up Hamas, up Hezbollah”.
Last week, counter-terror police confirmed they would assess a video of the band, and today said that this video and another have given “grounds for further investigation”.
Kneecap apologised on Monday to the families of murdered MPs but claimed footage of the incident had been “exploited and weaponised”, while they also said they have “never supported” Hamas or Hezbollah, which are both banned organisations in the UK.
A number of Kneecap gigs have also been cancelled in recent days, including the Eden Project in Cornwall, a number of German gigs, and a show in Plymouth.
However, Kneecap today announced three shows in July at a different venue in Plymouth.
During Kneecap’s set at the US music festival Coachella earlier last month, a screen displayed messages that included “Fuck Israel. Free Palestine.”
The group’s manager Daniel Lambert said this week that there has been a “concerted campaign” against the rap trio “emanating from the US” since the Coachella gig.
The joint statement signed by many notable music names also pointed to a “campaign to remove Kneecap from the public eye” by Westminster and the British media.
The statement added that the artists who signed it “need to register our opposition to any political repression of artistic freedom”.
👇👇👇 pic.twitter.com/HuJ4twS3NM
— Daniel Lambert (@dlLambo) April 30, 2025
“No political figures or parties should have the right to dictate who does and does not play at music festivals or gigs,” reads the statement, which has also been signed by Annie Mac, Damien Dempsey, Lankum, Massive Attack, and Primal Scream.
“The question of agreeing with Kneecap’s political views is irrelevant,” said the statement, which called for the “interference campaign” to be “condemned and ridiculed”.
Speaking to RTÉ’s Prime Time earlier this week, Kneecap’s manager Daniel Lambert remarked: “To the massive credit of the three lads, at no point have they had any concern for their own income, for their own careers, for their own futures.
“At every point, they have the absolute conviction that they are doing the right thing and they stand on the right side of history.”
He said the idea that there was an “incitement of violence against an MP is ludicrous” and that the comments were “taken entirely out of context”.
“They’re performers and it was part of a performance,” said Lambert.
“This was a concerted campaign, and the aim of this campaign is really important. This has nothing to do with Kneecap or something that Kneecap may or may not have said.
“It’s solely about de-platforming artists and telling the next young band, both through the music industry and through the political class, that you cannot speak about Palestine.”
"You have a band being held to a higher moral account than politicians who are ignoring international law."
— RTÉ One (@RTEOne) April 29, 2025
Miriam O'Callaghan joined in studio by Kneecap's manager Daniel Lambert on #RTEPT pic.twitter.com/vnijIPiOLM
He added: “There was a concerted campaign emanating from the US to analyse every single thing that Kneecap has ever said in seven years of performances.
“Why this happened is around what they said at Coachella, and what they said at Coachella was the right thing to say.
“It’s something we’ve said at Leeds, Reading, Glastonbury, Dublin and Belfast.
“What really scared the State of Israel and led to this campaign is the reaction of young people in America, young people who aren’t willing to support a genocide, and have empathy and sympathy towards the Palestinian people.”
Israel has been accused of genocide in a case brought to the International Court of Justice by South Africa.
The ICJ issued provisional measures against Israel after finding there are reasonable grounds to believe Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza, where over 52,000 people have been killed since October 2023.
Lambert also claimed that this is now entering the “space of moral hysteria and outrage”.
“You have a band being held to a higher moral account than politicians who are ignoring international law.
“(British prime minister) Keir Starmer was an international lawyer and he said that Israel had a right to cut water and food into Gaza.”
This was a reference to an interview Starmer did with LBC in October 2023 in which Starmer suggested that Israel had the “right” to cut off power and water from Gaza.
"This has nothing to do with Kneecap... It's about telling the next young band that you cannot speak about Palestine."
— RTÉ One (@RTEOne) April 29, 2025
Miriam O'Callaghan speaking with Kneecap's manager Daniel Lambert on #RTEPT pic.twitter.com/cNmfavzbiv
“Children are starving to death, and we’re spending six or seven days speaking about Kneecap – we spent less than a day speaking about 15 executed medics.”
In March, an Israeli army attack on an emergency convoy killed 15 aid workers and medical personnel in Gaza.
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