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 offences 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 …