Kneecap Court Ruling and Artists in Activism
Isabel Balkhi, MA Social Anthropology and Persian
‘Your attempts to silence us have failed because we're right and you're wrong,’ words passionately spoken by Kneecap rapper Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, who stood outside Woolwich Crown Court in September to make the long-awaited announcement to supporters that his court case had finally been dismissed.
The rapper, who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, had appeared in court earlier that day, facing terrorism charges held against him for allegedly displaying a Hezbollah flag at a concert in the O2 Forum in Kentish Town in November of 2024. Though the court’s decision to dismiss the case was based on a technical error, Mr Óg Ó hAnnaidh praised the act as a victory for any artist who had recently faced attempts at being censored due to their open solidarity with the Palestinian cause. However, the case now faces a new appeal from the Crown Prosecution Service, who have expressed that “there is an important point of law which needs to be clarified.”
London-based punk duo Bob Vylan, who sparked controversy over their ‘death, death to the IDF’ chants at the Glastonbury music festival this past summer, also faced efforts from both politicians and the public to have their voice silenced. Following the removal of their Glastonbury performance from the BBC’s on-demand services, the pair now face potential legal action from an Independent Ireland councillor, seeking to halt their upcoming gig at Vicar Street, Dublin. After being previously dropped from Manchester’s Radar Festival back in July, additional calls have also been made in a letter backed by 10 Members of Parliament (MPs) to cancel their future performance at the Manchester Academy on November 5th. However, despite these setbacks, the duo remain fervent in their activism and are continuing to perform on their ‘We Won’t Go Quietly’ tour all across the UK and Ireland.
Beyond musicians, other members of the creative industry have also become targets of the growing clampdown on free speech, including renowned Irish author Sally Rooney. The writer, who famously wrote the bestseller ‘Normal People’, was recently unable to receive the Sky Arts Award for literature for her latest novel ‘Intermezzo’ in person, due to concerns that she could face arrest for her support of the recently proscribed group Palestine Action. Having expressed her intention to donate some of the proceeds from her work to the organisation, Rooney now runs a high risk of being charged under the Terrorism Act for this vocal act of solidarity.
As an increasing number of individuals and groups have faced backlash for their open support for the Palestinian cause, it is evident that the government has laid an unclear path for anyone who boldly dares to exercise their right to free speech. The future, however, remains particularly unsure for artists like Kneecap and Bob Vylan, whose bold political activism poses a greater risk of being silenced than ever before.
