Kneecap

[Colorblindjames]

8 minutes ago, steviewevie said:

Yeah, but that isn't government doing that, that's the police...after these videos were made public.

Oh your naivety is charming. You must have heard of political policing. 

[steviewevie]

Ok...but at same time...we have no idea if or what pressure on the police there has been...so these are all just assumptions. If it was referred to counter terrorism by met then it usually moves pretty quickly.

[philipsteak]

1 hour ago, Toilet Duck said:

To be honest, it's not that they are the sole beacon of support for Palestine, they are merely reflecting the overwhelming sense of anger and frustration in the country about the situation. Personally, they don't do anything for me musically (saw them in Woodsies last year as the rest of my group went, but it was all a bit manufactured for me, right down to the "republican paramilitary cosplay" as Stevie refers to it as...just a bit edgy by numbers (though I get why that member wanted to hide their identity...however, there are less loaded ways to do this, and the choice is part of the shtick)). However, I have a lot of time for what they are doing to popularise the Irish language. Each to their own, but not really my bag (as artists). In terms of standing up to those that don't like them though, they have earned a huge amount of respect. First by going to court to challenge the withdrawal of their arts council grant (and it was a good move to evenly split the grant between nationalist and unionist youth groups when they won). Now they are essentially folk heroes for standing up against the type of abuse Ireland receives almost daily for supporting Palestine (we are constantly accused of being terrorist sympathisers and anti-semites, and our politicians do push back on these charges which are entirely untrue, but levelling the accusation is all that seems to matter these days). I mentioned it earlier in the thread, but proclaiming support for proscribed organisations is completely normalised in Ireland, and however misguided, is seen as defiantly supporting the underlying ideal while conveniently ignoring the atrocities committed by these groups. Membership of such a group is illegal, but you'll find 50000 people happily singing Celtic Symphony at a festival without fear of being hauled up on anti-terror charges. There was some pearl clutching when the Irish women's football team were caught singing it in their dressing room after winning a match, but they weren't up in front of the courts over it! Flags are part of that expression too (we're a bit touchy about them and they cause all sorts of arguments North and South, but there's as many flags about the place as there are in front of the pyramid stage), so while they would have been completely aware that picking it up and waving it would be inflammatory, it's not unusual behaviour (personally, I'm more appalled by their comments about killing MPs which were bloody moronic). Anyway, they were viewed positively before this kicked off and that has only amplified since. 

 

1 hour ago, TheDayman said:

Okay, I'm going to try to answer this -
 

And this -

 

While peppering in a bit of Irish history, nationalism, and why the plight of the Palestinians resonates so deeply with people in Ireland…
 

Let’s start with Kneecap. They make serious political statements, but they do it through humour, satire, and provocation. These aren’t contradictions, they’re tools. It’s not a gimmick or a cynical grab for attention. They care about the issues they raise. Their use of absurdity and contradiction is meant to challenge people, to make them uncomfortable enough to think. This now 47-page thread is proof of that!
 

So, how are they seen in Ireland? Well, it depends on who you ask. Among younger people, especially those into music, activism, or from the North, Kneecap are seen as a vital voice. They’ve made the Irish language cool again. They speak to the frustration of growing up in a supposedly post-conflict society that still feels divided and ignored.

Others see them as too provocative. Some think they glorify the past or are just being edgy for the sake of it.

But wherever you land, let’s not pretend the Good Friday Agreement fixed everything. It was a huge achievement, yes. It demilitarised armed groups and brought relative peace. But Northern Ireland still has deep sectarian divisions, ongoing political instability, economic inequality, and a widespread mistrust of the police and justice system.

And then throw Brexit in on top of that.
 

If you think that sounds exaggerated, just Google “July 12th bonfires” and look at the effigies burned on them - like the image of a Catholic being hung from a noose.
 

When it comes to Gaza though, there’s far more unity in Ireland. As a country, we grew up with stories of colonisation, of famine, of forced emigration. We see parallels between Palestine and our own history. But it’s not just parallels, we actually have a shared history too.
 

During the Irish War of Independence (1920-1921), the British government recruited a brutal auxiliary force known as the Black and Tans to support the RIC. Many were demobilised WWI soldiers. They quickly gained infamy for their violence against civilians, burning towns and carrying out extrajudicial killings. Their actions left a scar that’s still talked about in Irish schools and households today.
 

After the Irish Free State was formed in 1922, the Black and Tans were disbanded but not forgotten. And here’s where it links to Palestine: some of those same men were later sent to enforce British rule in Mandatory Palestine. They brought the same tactics - community repression, divide-and-conquer policing, and brutal counter-insurgency.
 

So hopefully that gives some insight into why Kneecap strike a chord with many of us in Ireland (it’s become very easy to spot the Irish here!) and why for us, it’s probably not a simple binary debate. It‘s why us Irish (who are the 11th largest humanitarian donor per capita in the world!) feel such strong solidarity with Palestine. It’s not just about politics. It’s personal, it’s historical and it’s ongoing.

And finally, just to close this out, I want to offer a bit of clarity. When most progressive Irish people (and I know I’m taking a bit of a leap speaking for others) talk about British colonialism, it’s not about hating English people. Not at all (well… maybe a little during the Six Nations 😉). But seriously, it’s more about being tuned in to our own history and having a critical view of the legacy of British colonialism, not of British people themselves.
 

In fact, Glastonbury is a great example of what’s best about Britain. I often describe it back home as having this wonderful sense of British politeness and friendliness. Unfortunately, here in Ireland, it doesn’t take long for the worst of Irish culture to make an appearance at festivals to ruin things!

 

 

Thanks for the responses everyone, particularly these two for the thought and level of detail.

 

Kinda how I expected then to be seen to be honest.

For a little context I probably have a bit more knowledge and interest in Ireland and specifically Northern Ireland than most English people (not hard I know. It's genuinely disgraceful how little is known here. Not even that it's one sided, it's just not known) but still probably disgracefully simplistic. Started in Sixth Form with a teacher who'd lived there for years and would shoehorn references in to every lesson he could, family members in the British Army who served in Northern Ireland (dad and uncle before I was born, brother when I was a kid) and I lived in Belfast myself for a year in 2004/2005, which was a fairly spicy year, and unfortunately have the scars and titanium plates to show for it. Also, I just like, you know, knowing stuff.

@Toilet Duck I remember the flags well. I lived/worked just off Sandy Row so they were everywhere. I was working on the Youth Hostel there which at the time was having a massive extension built so the scaffolding was covered in flags, meals and slogans. One of the Nationalist newspapers did a story about it, saying it was disgraceful that HINI was displaying such things. The official response was the usual vague "we welcome everyone of all backgrounds and don't consider any of this yada yada yada". The unofficial line was more like "if you want them taken down you f**king tell them cos we're not".

@TheDayman I went to see the bonfires. f**king insane.

[Mordy1990]

 

Kneecap to release new track ahead of headline slot at London festival: ‘Kemi Badenoch you might wanna sit down for this one’ | BelfastTelegraph.co.uk

[Toilet Duck]

35 minutes ago, philipsteak said:

 

 

Thanks for the responses everyone, particularly these two for the thought and level of detail.

 

Kinda how I expected then to be seen to be honest.

For a little context I probably have a bit more knowledge and interest in Ireland and specifically Northern Ireland than most English people (not hard I know. It's genuinely disgraceful how little is known here. Not even that it's one sided, it's just not known) but still probably disgracefully simplistic. Started in Sixth Form with a teacher who'd lived there for years and would shoehorn references in to every lesson he could, family members in the British Army who served in Northern Ireland (dad and uncle before I was born, brother when I was a kid) and I lived in Belfast myself for a year in 2004/2005, which was a fairly spicy year, and unfortunately have the scars and titanium plates to show for it. Also, I just like, you know, knowing stuff.

@Toilet Duck I remember the flags well. I lived/worked just off Sandy Row so they were everywhere. I was working on the Youth Hostel there which at the time was having a massive extension built so the scaffolding was covered in flags, meals and slogans. One of the Nationalist newspapers did a story about it, saying it was disgraceful that HINI was displaying such things. The official response was the usual vague "we welcome everyone of all backgrounds and don't consider any of this yada yada yada". The unofficial line was more like "if you want them taken down you f**king tell them cos we're not".

@TheDayman I went to see the bonfires. f**king insane.

No worries!

 

[Spindles]

New track, for anyone interested in their music:

 

[Toilet Duck]

34 minutes ago, Spindles said:

New track, for anyone interested in their music:

 

Feck...I actually like that one. And there's me repeatedly saying they did nothing for me musically! 🤦‍♂️

[lemons]

 

Hills of Belfast today 

[SheffJeff]

I believe abú means forever to save people a google.

[Suprefan]

4 hours ago, steviewevie said:

Yeah, but that isn't government doing that, that's the police...after these videos were made public.

 

 

HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

 

to think that governments dont order police to do sh*t for them gave me a good laugh. Come across the pond and tell me the police are not taking government orders.

 

[tarw]

19 hours ago, Nicklord said:

That's like me saying Israel isn't killing civilians because they say they aren't doing it.

 

Kneecap can say whatever they want but their actions speak differently. They showed support for terrorist organizations at least 3 times so far.

 

No, I'm not saying Kneecap is doing the same things as Israel. Just pointing out how you pick things you like. 

 

Kneecap supported terrorist. It's very obvious why the guy will go to court. It's not some deep conspiracy. A person supports terrorists, that person gets into trouble. Shocking 

What about artists in the 80s and 90s that supported the ANC and Nelson Mandela?  They were seen as a terrorist group and leader by our Government. Should anyone who supported their cause be in trouble?

[steviewevie]

1 hour ago, Suprefan said:

 

 

HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

 

to think that governments dont order police to do sh*t for them gave me a good laugh. Come across the pond and tell me the police are not taking government orders.

 

Well yeah..look at china too ..but we're a nice liberal democracy etc

[Johndenis]

17 minutes ago, steviewevie said:

Well yeah..look at china too ..but we're a nice liberal democracy etc

I've not commented on this thread for a while, but you're just sounding silly at this point. Are you a troll?

 

The Govt has obviously ordered that Kneecap be charged with something, anything 

[steviewevie]

9 minutes ago, Johndenis said:

I've not commented on this thread for a while, but you're just sounding silly at this point. Are you a troll?

 

The Govt has obviously ordered that Kneecap be charged with something, anything 

How is that obvious?

These videos were released to the press..then the met referred to counter terrorism.

[steviewevie]

Maybe I'm a naive dumb troll but I really think the govt have got more important things to be getting on with. It's just a police matter at this point.

[Skip997]

22 minutes ago, steviewevie said:

Maybe I'm a naive dumb troll but I really think the govt have got more important things to be getting on with. It's just a police matter at this point.

It’s not a police matter, in fact it’s not a matter at all. 

[steviewevie]

21 minutes ago, Skip997 said:

It’s not a police matter, in fact it’s not a matter at all. 

Dark matter

[SouthbanKen]

I’d be quite surprised that the Govt took the time out of their day to tell the police to press charges. 
 

However, senior police will undoubtedly have taken a keen interest in this case given the media scrutiny it has been afforded, and the simple fact is that waving the flag of a proscribed organisation is illegal. Thus there has been a criminal act that was highly publicised, the police have had there hand forced by the media to act, otherwise they are open for accusations of not doing their job or two tier policing. 

[Dave_c]

51 minutes ago, steviewevie said:

Dark matter

[HotChipWillBreakYourLegs]

On 22/05/2025 at 13:51, kaosmark2 said:

Unless a mod DM'd you to say you were acting out of order then you personally weren't "modded". We hid posts that were sparking personal arguments even if they were only quoting something inflammatory. Pages of posts were arriving very rapidly and quickly hiding things was the only way we could realistically keep the thread open at all.

 

We were trying to keep vaguely regular statements out in the thread so that people would understand what we were aiming for while allowing the conversation to continue. 

 

I don't remember your name coming up as someone whose content we were worried about. Feel free to DM me or another mod of your choice if you want to discuss it further now, but please respect that trying to offer explanations to everyone who had even a single post hidden would have been impossible, and we'd have had to close the thread instead.

 

It was resolved in the end, but it took a long time and my post was allowed with a small amendment.

 

I called out a post that contained some blatant anti-Palestininan prejudice but my response was hidden.

 

In the event that anyone had posted anything anti-Semitic I would expect that that post would not be allowed, but if it slipped through, responses calling it out would be allowed.

 

But I appreciate what you mods do.

[Suprefan]

4 hours ago, steviewevie said:

Maybe I'm a naive dumb troll but I really think the govt have got more important things to be getting on with. It's just a police matter at this point.

 

no, they dont. Again, look at ours. They will go after anytbing thats against their agenda. Uk gov still has it out for people from the north and esp for ones calling out their sh*t when it comes to Israel and Palestine. They see Kneecap is making an impression and will do whats needed to supress. They will only do so much indirectly and then hope it scares others into ending it and the jobs done.
 

Right now Glasto will be their biggest platform if it all goes well and the ratings will be through the roof. If the gov or the Bbc try anything then the headlines will all negative against them and theres no way they want that. So they are clutching at straws for the time being.

[Colorblindjames]

5 hours ago, steviewevie said:

Maybe I'm a naive dumb troll but I really think the govt have got more important things to be getting on with. It's just a police matter at this point.

Jaysus lad you are having a bit of a mare here. I’d back off before any further damage occurs. 

[Ben7amin_]

Anyone at Wide Awake give us a review

[CaledonianGonzo]

Amazingly it seems to have passed off without half the audience attacking the other half.

[she bangs the drums]