Following the news that a November 2023 video of a gig by Northern Irish rap group Kneecap was under investigation by the Metropolitan Police’s counter-terror unit, the daughter of a British MP who was stabbed to death in 2021 has spoken out against the band and asked them to apologise.
The clip allegedly sees the trio calling for the death of Conservative MPs, with one member of the group alleged to have said: "The only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your local MP."
A UK government spokesman commented: "We unequivocally condemn threatening remarks made towards any individual. Political intimidation and abuse must have no place in our society. We recognise the chilling effect that harassment and intimidation of elected representatives can have on our democracy.”
"All reports of intimidation, harassment and threats are taken extremely seriously. We work with the police and Parliament to do everything in our power to crack down on threats to elected officials."
Now, Katie Amess, whose father Sir David Amess was a Conservative MP when he was murdered in 2021 by Islamic State member Ali Harbi Ali, said 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".
Amess told BBC News NI's Good Morning Ulster programme that it is “just beyond belief that human beings would speak like that in this day and age and it is extremely dangerous."
She added: "To say to kill anybody, what on earth are they thinking?"
Amess went on to say that Kneecap should apologise to her and that she was prepared to meet the band: "If they are willing to listen to how my life has been obliterated and will never be the same, for them to say those words is obviously very triggering. I'm sure deep down they are nice people, hopefully they just made a mistake and are going to apologise for it."
So far, Kneecap have said on social media that they have "faced a co-ordinated smear campaign", while Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has stated in a social media post that Kneecap’s “glorification of terrorism and anti-British hatred has no place in our society.”
She added: "After the murder of Sir David Amess, this demands prosecution.”
The video, as well as another from 2024, are being investigated by the counter-terrorism police. No member of Kneecap has been charged with any offences.
Two British MPs have been murdered in the past 10 years - Labour's Jo Cox in 2016 and Sir David Amess in 2021.
