Badenoch demands prosecution of rap group Kneecap over alleged ‘dead Tory’ claim

Conservative leader and North West Essex MP Kemi Badenoch has demanded the prosecution of rap trio Kneecap for allegedly calling for the death of Tory MPs. Ms Badenoch has raised the issue after one member appeared to make a threatening comment in a video from two years ago.

Video emerged of the group at a November 2023 gig appearing to show one member saying: “The only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your local MP.” Mrs Badenoch said Kneecap’s “anti-British hatred has no place in our society” as she called for them to face action.

Scotland Yard is looking into the incident, along with another concert from November 2024 in which a member of the band appeared to shout “up Hamas, up Hezbollah” – groups which are banned as terrorist organisations in the UK. Mrs Badenoch said it was “good” the police were looking into the allegation, adding: “Kneecap’s glorification of terrorism and anti-British hatred has no place in our society.

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She added, “Now footage shows one of them saying: ‘The only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your local MP’. After the murder of Sir David Amess, this demands prosecution.” Conservative MP Sir David was stabbed to death while meeting constituents in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, in 2021.

His daughter Katie Amess told BBC’s Good Morning Ulster: “It is just beyond belief that human beings would speak like that in this day and age and it is extremely dangerous.” She said “to say to kill anybody, what on earth are they thinking”, warning there were “absolute nutters” who could try to act upon the comments allegedly made by Kneecap. She called on the group to apologise, saying she was “absolutely gobsmacked at the stupidity of somebody or a group of people being in the public eye and saying such dangerous, violent rhetoric”.

Mrs Badenoch blocked a government grant to the bilingual Belfast group while she was business secretary. In November last year, Kneecap won a discrimination challenge over the decision to refuse them a £14,250 funding award after the UK Government conceded it was “unlawful”. Counter-terrorism police are assessing footage reportedly from the November 2024 gig in London’s Kentish Town Forum and the November 2023 concert.

On Sunday, a Metropolitan Police spokesman said: “We were made aware of a video on April 22, believed to be from an event in November 2024, and it has been referred to the counter terrorism internet referral unit for assessment and to determine whether any further police investigation may be required.

“We have also been made aware of another video believed to be from an event in November 2023.” He also said the force “are assessing both to determine whether further police investigation is required”.

The counter terrorism internet referral unit (CTIRU) is a national counter terrorism policing unit based within the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command which is dedicated to identifying terrorist and extremist material online. Police will carry out an investigation if the material breaches the law.

Kneecap, made up of Liam Og O Hannaidh, Naoise O Caireallain and JJ O Dochartaigh, have claimed they are facing a “co-ordinated smear campaign” after speaking out about “the ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people”. Kneecap’s management has been approached for comment in response to Mrs Badenoch’s demand for a prosecution.