The Murder Capital defend Kneecap: “Nobody could say they’re trying to cause harm in any way”
Irish post-punk band The Murder Capital have recently shown solidarity for Kneecap, after one of the band’s members was charged with a terror offence.
Speaking to Ireland’s national television and radio broadcaster RTE, frontman James McGovern weighed in on the recent controversy, after Mo Chara of Kneecap was charged with a terror offence and is set to face the Magistrates Court on June 18th. The ruling is in reaction to a video from a London show in November 2024, where he can allegedly be seen waving the flag of the terrorist organisation Hezbollah, shouting, “Up Hamas, Up Hezbollah!”
Hundreds of musicians, including The Murder Capital, signed an open letter defending Kneecap’s right to free speech and artistic expression. McGovern addressed their support, albeit surreptitiously: “Look . . . we did sign the letter because I do believe it was the right thing to do.”
He continued of the letter: “It’s not easy to separate things into completely right, total moral uprightness, I believe, in its essence, it was the right thing to do to sign it and I think there is more nuanced conversation that needs to come from the situation itself.”
McGovern quickly realised that the band could have been carried away on stage. “Obviously, what Kneecap said are stupid things to say. I think they could have very much have been said in jest. I don’t think it means anyone is wanting blood, I don’t think anyone is saying it in that way. What was said, `up, Hamas, up, Hezbollah,’ are not the best f***ing thing to be saying. I think Kneecap have come out and said that.”
He commented on their commitment to social justice, adding, “Of the three lads in Kneecap, nobody could say they’re trying to cause harm in any way. I think they’re standing up for people who don’t have a voice and they’re doing it again and again and again and they’re doing it in a way that is causing conversation to occur.”
McGovern stressed that he believes “they will be fine,” though they will “probably be a little more careful with their words.” Just like Kneecap, The Murder Capital has had shows cancelled due to pro-Palestinian politics. On their current tour, shows in Berlin and Cologne were cancelled due to the involvement of a Palestinian flag that the band sees as integral to their set.
In response, the band put on their own free, open-air gigs in car parks and communal spaces, in awareness that fans were promised a show, but compromising their moral standpoint was off limits. They retaliated: “Having a flag on our stage at a rock show is not a political statement. It is a human reaction to a horrific and unimaginable situation.”
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