UK counterterror police say they will investigate comments by Irish rap group Kneecap

LONDON — British counterterrorism detectives will investigate comments by Irish hip-hop group Kneecap, which has been criticized by U.K. politicians over statements about the Middle East and British politics, police said Thursday.

The Irish-language rappers from Northern Ireland were reported to police over footage from a 2024 concert in which a band member appeared to say: ''The only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your local MP.'' Footage from another concert, in 2023, appears to show a member of the trio shouting ''up Hamas, up Hezbollah'' – both banned organizations in the U.K.

London's Metropolitan Police force said officers had concluded that "there are grounds for further investigation into potential offenses linked to both videos.

''The investigation is now being carried out by officers from the Met's Counter Terrorism Command and inquiries remain ongoing at this time,'' the force said in a statement.

The Belfast trio is known for satirical lyrics and use of symbolism associated with the Irish republican movement, which seeks to unite Northern Ireland, currently part of the U.K., with the Republic of Ireland.

More than 3,600 people were killed during three decades of violence in Northern Ireland involving Irish republican militants, pro-British Loyalist militias and the U.K. security forces. Kneecap takes its name from a brutal punishment, shooting in the leg, that was dealt out by paramilitary groups to informers and drug dealers.

The band has been praised for invigorating the Irish-language cultural scene in Northern Ireland, where the status of the language remains a contested political issue in a society still split between British unionist and Irish nationalist communities. It has also been criticized for lyrics laden with expletives and drug references.

Kneecap was not well known outside Northern Ireland before the release of a raucous feature film loosely based on the band's origins and fueled by a heavy mix of drugs, sex, violence, politics and humor. The group's members played themselves in ''Kneecap,'' which won an audience award when it was screened at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. It was shortlisted for best foreign-language picture and best original song at this year's Academy Awards, though it didn't make the final cut.

Its success led to shows in the United States, including performances at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in the California desert last month.

During a show there the band projected criticism of Israel on a screen behind them, accusing the country of committing genocide against the Palestinians, enabled by the U.S. government. The band led the audience in chants of ''Free Palestine.''

Kneecap was the subject of a heated debate in Britain's House of Commons this week, where government and opposition lawmakers criticized its comments and noted that two members of Parliament have been murdered since 2016.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer's spokesman, Dave Pares, said Thursday it was right that the ''deeply offensive'' comments were investigated.

''Political intimidation and abuse have no part in our society,'' he said.

In a statement on Instagram, band members Liam Og O Hannaidh, Naoise O Caireallain and JJ O Dochartaigh apologized to the families of Labour Party lawmaker Jo Cox, who was killed in by a far-right attacker in 2016, and Conservative legislator David Amess, murdered in 2021 by an Islamic State supporter.

The group said ''we never intended to cause you hurt.''

Kneecap said it had ''never supported Hamas or Hezbollah,'' and accused ''establishment figures'' of taking comments out of context to ''manufacture moral hysteria'' because of the band's criticism of Israel's attacks on Palestinians in Gaza.

Several Kneecap gigs have been canceled as a result of the controversy, and some British lawmakers have called on organizers of June's Glastonbury Festival to scrap a planned performance by the group.

Fellow musicians have come to the rappers' defense. Several dozen performers, including British rock group Primal Scream, Irish band Fontaines D.C. and mod singer Paul Weller have signed an open letter criticizing a ''clear, concerted attempt to censor and ultimately deplatform'' Kneecap and opposing ''political repression of artistic freedom.''

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Associated Press writer Brian Melley contributed to this story.