Irish rap group Kneecap defeats British Government after ‘illegal’ attempt to ‘silence them’-Brooke Ivey Johnson-Entertainment – Metro

JJ O’Dochartaigh (left), also known as DJ Provai, of the Belfast-based rap group Kneecap, arrives at Belfast High Court with his lawyer Darragh Mackin (Picture: Mark Marlow/PA Wire)

Irish language rap group Kneecap has won its legal battle against the UK government.

The dispute was over former business secretary Kemi Badenoch refusing them a £14,250 funding award.

The UK Government has just conceded withholding the fund was ‘unlawful.’

The band, who are known for being politically active, claimed the decision to refuse the grant discriminated against them on grounds of nationality and political opinion. They’re outspoken Irish republicans, and often criticise the UK in their lyrics.

The group is firmly in favour of Irish unity, and were the subject of much discussion when the poster for their Farewell to the Union tour earned backlash from the Conservative party.

During a brief hearing at Belfast High Court on Friday, Mr Justice Scoffield said he was pleased the matter had been settled.

UK Government conceded at Belfast High Court it was ‘unlawful’ to withhold the fund from the group (Picture: Mark Marlow/PA Wire)

The group’s lawyer said ‘Kneecap continue to lead by example in practising what they preach.’ (Picture: Mark Marlow/PA Wire)

Reading an agreed statement, barrister for Kneecap Ronan Lavery KC said: ‘It is declared that the decision is unlawful, procedurally unfair, took into account immaterial considerations and failed to take into account relevant factors.’

The Government will now pay the sum of £14,250 – a grant allocated to support UK-registered artists in global markets – to the group.

Their application to the Music Export Growth Scheme had been approved by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) before it was halted by the politician.

The grant scheme is managed by the Department for Business and Trade and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport at Westminster. In February, UK Business Secretary Ms. Badenoch, who is now the leader of the Conservative Party, chose to reject the funding.

The band is known for their outspoken political lyrics (Picture: Luke Brennan/Getty Images)

When the news broke, a government spokesperson stated that while the administration fully supported freedom of speech, it was ‘hardly surprising’ that the government would decline to allocate UK taxpayers’ money to individuals opposed to the United Kingdom.

The band formed in 2017 by three friends who perform under the stage names Mo Chara, Moglai Bap, and DJ Provai.

In the wake of the legal resolution, Kneecap said it would donate the grant to two youth organisations in Belfast – one from a nationalist and one from a unionist area.

A statement from the band reads: ‘For us, this action was never about £14,250; it could have been 50 pence.

‘The motivation was equality.

Britain’s opposition Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch, denied the funding while serving as business secretary Picture: Peter Nicholls/Getty Images

‘This was an attack on artistic culture, an attack on the Good Friday Agreement itself and an attack on Kneecap and our way of expressing ourselves.’

It continued: ‘The former secretary of state Kemi Badenoch and her department acted unlawfully; this is now a fact.

‘They don’t like that we oppose British rule, that we don’t believe that England serves anyone in Ireland and the working classes on both sides of the community deserve better; deserve funding, deserve appropriate mental health services, deserve to celebrate music and art and deserve the freedom to express our culture.

‘They broke their own laws in trying to silence Kneecap.’

They added: ‘They have tried to silence us and they have failed.’

The band’s lawyer, Darragh Mackin from Phoenix Law, said: ‘A court has exonerated our clients and declared this decision unlawful in every sense of the word.

Mo Chara (left) and Móglaí Bap (right) founded the group with DJ Provai in 2017 (Picture: Luke Brennan/Getty Images)

‘Today is not only a victory for Kneecap, but a victory for the arts, for culture, for the freedom of expression.

‘Kneecap continue to lead by example in practising what they preach.’

A statement from the Department for Business and Trade said: ‘This Government’s priority is to try and reduce costs and help protect the taxpayer from further expense, so we will not continue to contest Kneecap’s challenge as we do not believe it in the public interest.

‘The music industry is the heart and soul of our economy and are committed to helping acts continue to thrive and break into new markets, including through our MEGS programme – which has helped around 400 artists tour the globe.’

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