The Metropolitan Police have confirmed they will not charge Irish rap trio Kneecap over 'kill your MP' comments.
Kneecap will not be charged over comments made at a November 2023 gig, where it appeared to show one of the group members saying: "The only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your MP."
The investigation is separate from the ongoing case against Liam Og O hAnnaidh who has been accused of allegedly displaying a flag in support of proscribed terrorist organisation Hezbollah while saying "up Hamas, up Hezbollah" at a gig in November 2024.
In April, the police said they were investigating the separate incidents.
The Met confirmed to LBC that it is no longer pursuing an investigation into the comments encouraging people to kill their MP at the November 2023 gig. This is reportedly due to the statutory time limit for prosecution expiring.
It has no bearing on the previous charge for a Terrorism Act offence, which will go to trial in August, the Met said.
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said in a statement that detectives interviewed an individual under caution but based on current evidence available, a decision has been made that no further action will be taken.
The statement read: “A thorough investigation has now been completed by detectives from the Counter Terrorism Command, which included interviewing an individual under caution and seeking early investigative advice from the Crown Prosecution Service.
“A range of offences were considered as part of the investigation. However, given the time elapsed between the events in the video and the video being brought to police attention, any potential summary only offences were beyond the statutory time limit for prosecution.
“Relevant indictable offences were considered by the investigation team and, based on all of the current evidence available, a decision has been made that no further action will be taken at this time.
“We understand the impact this decision may have on MPs and their staff. The safety and security of MPs is something that is taken extremely seriously across the whole of policing.
"MPs who may be concerned about their safety can contact their dedicated local Operation Bridger officer, who can provide further advice and support.”
It comes as punk duo Bob Vylan, whose set was broadcast live, led crowds at the West Holts Stage in a chant of "death, death to the IDF" and “free, free, Palestine” as they performed before Irish rap trio Kneecap.
The group, made up of Bobby Vylan, real name Pascal Robinson-Foster, and Bobbie Vylan, also displayed several messages behind them on stage, including condemnations of Israel’s ongoing assault on Gaza.
The message read: “Free Palestine. United Nations have called it a genocide. The BBC calls it a conflict.”
The BBC called the comments “deeply offensive,” and said it decided not to make the performance available on demand. It added that a disclaimer was put on the screen about strong and discriminatory language.
But the broadcaster was lambasted by senior politicians for its coverage of the comments, as Prime Minister Keir Starmer demanded answers.
The Prime Minister said: "There is no excuse for this kind of appalling hate speech.
"I said that Kneecap should not be given a platform and that goes for any other performers making threats or inciting violence.
"The BBC needs to explain how these scenes came to be broadcast."
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp went further, and said the BBC's senior executives "should face charges."
The broadcaster said it decided not to air Kneecap’s set over impartiality concerns, but made the set available on iPlayer – though with some edits.
The Irish group led the crowd in chants of “f*ck Keir Starmer,” after the Prime Minister said the group should not be allowed to perform at the festival, as well as chants of “free, free Palestine.”
The band drew immense crowds, and organisers had to cut off access to the stage 40 minutes before they began their set as it had reached capacity.
A spokesperson said: "Our national broadcaster must apologise for its dissemination of this extremist vitriol, and those responsible must be removed from their positions."
The chants referred to the IDF, or Israel Defence Force, which has faced widespread criticism for decades for its unlawful conduct, and more recently has been accused of committing war crimes and genocide in Gaza.
But some have claimed the comments were antisemitic, and that they called for the death of Israelis in general, rather than the army.
Glastonbury organiser Emily Eavis said the chants "crossed the line,” and reminded “everyone involved in the production of the Festival that there is no place at Glastonbury for antisemitism, hate speech or incitement to violence."
Avon and Somerset Police said: “We are aware of the comments made by acts on the West Holts Stage at Glastonbury Festival this afternoon.
“Video evidence will be assessed by officers to determine whether any offences may have been committed that would require a criminal investigation.”
Kneecap member Liam Og O hAnnaidh appeared in court earlier this month, after being charged for allegedly displaying a flag in support of proscribed terrorist organisation Hezbollah while saying "up Hamas, up Hezbollah" at a gig in November last year.
He denies the charge.
In an interview with The Sun, Sir Keir was asked if he thought the trio should perform at Glastonbury, to which he replied: "No, I don't, and I think we need to come down really clearly on this.
"This is about the threats that shouldn't be made, I won't say too much because there's a court case on, but I don't think that's appropriate."
It comes after Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch said she thought the BBC "should not be showing" Kneecap's performance at the festival.
Mrs Badenoch said in the X post, which was accompanied by an article from The Times that claimed the BBC had not banned the group: "The BBC should not be showing Kneecap propaganda.
"One Kneecap band member is currently on bail, charged under the Terrorism Act.
"As a publicly funded platform, the BBC should not be rewarding extremism."
The Tory Leader of the Opposition has previously called for the group to be banned from Glastonbury, and last year Kneecap won a discrimination case against the UK Government in Belfast High Court after she tried to refuse them a £14,250 funding award when she was a minister.
Kneecap took aim at Mrs Badenoch in their latest single, The Recap, released just before their headline set at London's Wide Awake festival in May, with the song mocking the politician's attempts to block their arts funding and the Conservative Party's election loss.
At court, O hAnnaidh, who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, was cheered by hundreds of supporters as he arrived with bandmates Naoise O Caireallain and JJ O Dochartaigh at Westminster Magistrates' Court in "Free Mo Chara" T-shirts.
During the proceedings, a prosecutor told the court the 27-year-old is "well within his rights" to voice his opinions on Israel and Palestine, but the alleged incident at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town, north London, is a "wholly different thing".
O hAnnaidh was released on unconditional bail until his next hearing at the same court on August 20.
Following the hearing, the rapper said: "For anybody going to Glastonbury, you can see us there at 4pm on the Saturday.
"If you can't be there we'll be on the BBC, if anybody watches the BBC. We'll be at Wembley in September.
"But most importantly: free, free Palestine."
The charge came following a counter-terrorism police investigation after the historical gig footage came to light, which also allegedly shows the group calling for the deaths of MPs.
In April, Kneecap apologised to the families of murdered MPs but said footage of the incident had been "exploited and weaponised".
In an initial post in response to the charge, Kneecap said: "14,000 babies are about to die of starvation in Gaza, with food sent by the world sitting on the other side of a wall, and once again the British establishment is focused on us.
"We deny this 'offence' and will vehemently defend ourselves, this is political policing, this is a carnival of distraction.
"We are not the story, genocide is, as they profit from genocide, they use an 'anti-terror law' against us for displaying a flag thrown on stage. A charge not serious enough to even warrant their crown court, instead a court that doesn't have a jury. What's the objective?
"To restrict our ability to travel. To prevent us speaking to young people across the world. To silence voices of compassion. To prosecute artists who dare speak out.
Shadow Home Secretary urges Glastonbury Festival to cancel Kneecap
"Instead of defending innocent people, or the principles of international law they claim to uphold, the powerful in Britain have abetted slaughter and famine in Gaza, just as they did in Ireland for centuries. Then, like now, they claim justification.
"The IDF units they arm and fly spy plane missions for are the real terrorists, the whole world can see it."
Formed in 2017, the group are known for their provocative lyrics in both Irish and English and their merchandise.
Their best-known tracks include Get Your Brits Out, Better Way To Live, featuring Grian Chatten from Fontaines DC, and 3Cag.
A BBC spokesperson said: "As the broadcast partner, the BBC will be bringing audiences extensive music coverage from Glastonbury, with artists booked by the festival organisers.
"Whilst the BBC doesn't ban artists, our plans will ensure that our programming will meet our editorial guidelines. Decisions about our output will be made in the lead-up to the festival."
Meanwhile, a Welsh woman named Helen Wilson went viral for streaming Kneecap’s entire set live from her TikTok account, holding her phone in the air for an hour.
She received 1.8 million likes, and said she might have burned her finger from holding her phone as it overheated.
Ms Wilson told the Irish News that the BBC’s decision not to broadcast Kneecap’s set live was a “deliberate act of silence”.
“This is about the genocide in Palestine – this is not even about this festival,” she told the newspaper, adding: “This is about this wide issue that everybody needs to sit up and take notice of.
“This festival has always stood for more than just music; I believe that Glastonbury is about freedom and a resistance, and people come to this festival who do believe that another world is possible.
“I don’t agree with artists being silenced – when institutions avoid politically outspoken artists, I think that it’s up to us, the fans, to make sure their voices are still heard.”
