Kneecap: Belfast rap group wins case against UK government

Michael Cooper Three men pose in front of a mural showing a burning PSNI vehicle. The man in the middle is wearing a tri-colour balaclava. The man on the left is wearing a grey jacket and the man on the right is wearing a black jacket. — Kneecap were denied the grant on the grounds that they “oppose the United Kingdom itself”

Belfast rap group Kneecap has won its discrimination case against the UK government after a minister withdrew an arts grant.

The decision by the then Secretary of State for Business and Trade Kemi Badenoch was described by Kneecap’s barrister in court as “unlawful and procedurally unfair”.

The group was awarded £14,250 – the same amount they were initially granted.

In a statement, the band said Badenoch, who is now the leader of the Conservative Party, and her department had “tried to silence us and they have failed”.

A spokesperson for the department said the decision was made not to continue contesting the band’s challenge as “we do not believe it is in the public interest”.

They added: “This government’s priority is to try and reduce costs and help protect the taxpayer from further expense.”

They added that the music industry is “the heart and soul of the economy” and that the government is “committed to helping acts continue to thrive and break into new markets”.

A woman wearing a dark blue blazer and a white top sits in front of an animated bridge. She has a poppy on her lapel. — Kemi Badenoch

Kneecap originally applied for a grant allocated to support UK-registered artists in global markets in December 2023.

The group, who have been faced controversy for their lyrics and political outlook, were successful in their application, but were subsequently blocked from receiving the funding after an intervention by the Department for Business and Trade.

At the time, then-UK Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch’s spokesperson said they did not want to hand taxpayers’ money “to people that oppose the United Kingdom itself”.

Band member DJ Próvaí previously described the blocked funding as “an attack on artistic culture, an attack on the Good Friday Agreement and an attack on us and our way of expressing ourselves”.