Kneecap Gigs in Germany Cancelled Amid Outcry Over 'Kill Your MP' and Pro-Palestine Rhetoric

• by Arlen Fitzpatrick
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Kneecap’s German Tour Collapses as Backlash Grows

Things are looking stormy for Northern Irish rap trio Kneecap. Hot off a wave of controversy, the group—DJ Próvaí, Mo Chara, and Móglaí Bap—has seen their entire run of German shows scrapped. Festival organizers and venues aren’t just bowing to social media pressure; they’re reacting to an ongoing UK police probe and some very heavy allegations.

The chain reaction started back in April 2025. Kneecap was dropped from two of Germany’s biggest festivals, Hurricane and Southside, right after outrage over their onstage banter and political outbursts took over the headlines. In a move that looked like damage control, the trio announced club gigs in Berlin, Hamburg, and Cologne. That plan barely lasted a week. Ticketing sites now unambiguously mark those dates as 'cancelled.'

Politics Center Stage: Lyrics Under Police Lens

What’s caused this domino effect? It’s not just the lyrics. UK Counter Terrorism Police are looking into Kneecap’s public statements, specifically chants like “kill your local MP” and their vocal support for both Hamas and Hezbollah at live shows. Considering Hamas is a designated terror group in Britain, and Germany’s rules around hate speech are notoriously strict, it’s easy to see why promoters are running for cover.

The storm picked up serious gusts after Kneecap’s appearance at Coachella 2025. The trio took the stage on April 18 and led the crowd with phrases like “fuck Israel, free Palestine.” That single moment inflamed tempers far beyond the festival grounds, as accusations of anti-Israel hate speech spread rapidly. Laws in Germany don’t just frown on this kind of language—they’ve previously forced cancellations for stars like Roger Waters. So, the writing was on the wall when German venues started pulling the plug.

Pro-Israel advocacy groups have been making noise, but Kneecap isn’t without allies. UK acts such as Massive Attack and their own label, Heavenly Recordings, have stood by them, rejecting calls for blacklisting. Meanwhile, festivals outside Germany are keeping their heads down. Organizers in the Netherlands and the Czech Republic say they’re “monitoring the situation” and haven’t committed either way. It’s not just about legal issues anymore—booking Kneecap has become a political gamble.

For now, they still have a stage in the UK and Ireland. Their upcoming list includes London’s Wide Awake Festival on May 23, a summer show at Dublin’s Fairview Park on June 19, and a massive bill at Belfast Vital in late August. Whether these gigs go off without more drama is another story. As for Kneecap themselves? They’re keeping quiet, refusing to comment on either the German cancellations or the swirling investigation. The silence just raises more questions about where they stand—and what might happen next.