Photo by Omar Ramadan
Amid rising tensions over expressions of solidarity with Palestine, KNEECAP and Bob Vylan, have faced intense political and media scrutiny following controversial performances and public statements. Meanwhile, civilian casualties in Gaza continue to mount with relatively limited mainstream media coverage.
On July 1st, the Metropolitan Police confirmed it would not pursue charges against Irish rap trio KNEECAP over a resurfaced video in which group member Mo Chara was seen telling a crowd, “The only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your local MP.” The footage, reportedly taken in 2023, provoked bipartisan condemnation from Members of Parliament. KNEECAP issued an apology to the families of murdered MPs Jo Cox and David Amess, while maintaining that the clip was misrepresented and taken out of context. The group stated, “An extract of footage, deliberately taken out of all context, is now being exploited and weaponised, as if it were a call to action.”
While police dropped the incitement investigation, Mo Chara still faces a separate terrorism-related charge over allegedly displaying a Hezbollah flag during a past performance.
KNEECAP dismissed the charge as political, adding: “This is a carnival of distraction. We are not the story. Genocide is.”
British punk-rap duo Bob Vylan encountered similar controversy following a performance at Glastonbury Festival 2025, where they projected anti-war slogans and voiced support for Palestinians. During the set, the group led chants of “Free, free Palestine” and “Death, death to the IDF,” which they later clarified was a reference to the Israeli military as a structure, not to individuals. The performance drew swift rebuke. Somerset Police launched an investigation, and Bob Vylan were subsequently removed from the website of their talent agency, United Talent Agency, and had their U.S. visas revoked. Criticism also came from within government. Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy condemned the BBC for broadcasting the set, citing a lack of editorial oversight.
On Monday, a BBC spokesperson said: “The BBC respects freedom of expression but stands firmly against incitement to violence. The antisemitic sentiments expressed by Bob Vylan were utterly unacceptable and have no place on our airwaves.”
Glastonbury’s organisers have also distanced themselves from Bob Vylan’s performance, sharing the following: “Their chants very much crossed a line and we are urgently reminding everyone involved in the production of the festival that there is no place at Glastonbury for antisemitism, hate speech or incitement to violence.”
In a statement following the backlash, Bob Vylan said, “We are not for the death of Jews, Arabs or any other race or group. We are for the dismantling of a violent military machine.” They pointed to recent reports of Israeli soldiers opening fire on Palestinians queueing for food in Gaza, calling their performance an act of protest against silence and complicity.
“Every moment spent asking us to explain ourselves is a moment not spent questioning politicians and militaries who have been complicit in the slaughter of children,” the group wrote. “We, like those in the spotlight before us, are not the story. We are a distraction from the story.”
Their words were echoed by trip-hop pioneers Massive Attack, who issued a statement criticising what they described as media attempts to divert attention from events in Gaza. “Today, a hot day when 22 Palestinians (including journalists) sat in a seafront café were murdered by one Israeli bomb, various national media outlets have contacted us (again) to ask our view of something a musician said,” the band wrote in an Instagram post on Tuesday.
In their statement, Massive Attack called out what they described as an “absence of objective journalism” and a failure of political leadership. They pointed to the Israeli-imposed ban on foreign journalists in Gaza, and the death of hundreds of local reporters, urging outlets like the BBC to redirect resources toward covering the conflict itself. “Kneecap are not the story. Gaza is the story. Genocide is the story,” they concluded.
Several artists have voiced their frustration over the media and government’s response to pro-Palestine performances. Lambrini Girls stated, “Mass media and the government will villainise artists… Don’t be fooled into thinking it was anything other than protest.” Soft Play condemned Israel as “war criminals” and warned, “Don’t let them distract you.” Bryce from Amyl & The Sniffers said, “This conversation is once again distracted from the real issue of innocent Palestinians’ lives being obliterated.” Meanwhile, Grandson, a Jewish artist due to tour with Bob Vylan in the USA, argued that “Censorship of art is a tactic of control… We are the symptom of a sick world,” and expressed being “deeply offended by the conflation of criticism against a military force… with antisemitism.”
Others, including Paul Weller, IDLES, Fontaines D.C., Dua Lipa, and Pulp, have signed open letters calling for the UK government to halt arms exports to Israel and to acknowledge the scale of the humanitarian crisis.
As scrutiny of politically outspoken artists intensifies, many in the creative community argue that their words are being weaponised to distract from deeper, more urgent issues.
As Bob Vylan warns, “We are being targeted for speaking up. We are not the first. We will not be the last.”
