UK police conclude review of Kneecap's Glastonbury set and are taking no further action

POLICE IN ENGLAND have concluded their review of footage and audio recordings from Belfast rap trio Kneecap’s gig at Glastonbury last month and have decided not to take any further action.

The conclusion of the review and the end of the investigation was confirmed by Avon and Somerset Police and the band this afternoon.

Shortly after Kneecap packed out the West Holts stage at the music festival at the end of June, a spokesperson for the police agency confirmed that it had launched a review of the concert.

Posting online today, the Belfast band expressed confidence. It claimed that everyone who “saw our set knew no law was broken” and accused the investigation of being politically-charged, “targeted” and a form of “state intimidation”.

Avon and Somerset Police said detectives, following advice from public prosecutors, have decided to take no further action “on the grounds there is insufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction for any offence”.

Kneecap, as well as fellow rap group Bob Vylan, expressed pro-Palestine and anti-Israeli military sentiments on stage at the music festival this year. Both groups were criticised for their vocal condemnation of Israel’s actions in Gaza.

Throughout the gig, the band made a number of statements regarding the British media’s critical coverage of their stance on the war in Gaza and Israel.

The criticism came after one band member Mo Chara, real name Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, appeared before a judge in London and charged under the Terrorism Act for allegedly displaying a flag of militant group Hezbollah at a gig of theirs last year.

Kneecap also used their platform at Glastonbury to respond to political leaders, including the UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, for condemning them in the press and calling for them to be removed from the event.

London’s Met Police last month announced it would not to prosecute the band after conducting a review following complaints made against the band’s statements during a gig in November 2023.

Ó hAnnaidh is due to appear before a judge again in August. His defence team signalled that they will be contesting the charges, and the band has said the accusations are politically-motivated.

During the set before Kneecap, Bob Vylan frontman, Bobby Vylan, led a chant calling for “death to the IDF” (Israel Defence Forces). It caused uproar among politicians, who called on the BBC to investigate and review its broadcasting standards.

The BBC refused to broadcast Kneecap’s set live, and chose to instead upload the concert to its in-house on-demand service at a later time. It later explained that it had come to this decision following a risk assessment, which it said it carries out for every live event.

Earlier this month, the British broadcaster announced it would no longer show events it deemed as ‘high risk’ live, following the backlash it received for transmitting Vylan’s on-stage remarks, which the BBC said it should have “pulled” off-air.

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