Irish band Kneecap took London’s Oxford Street by storm last week, just hours after it was announced that one of their number faced terrorism charges in England for allegedly expressing support for Hezbollah and Hamas.
Crossover recognition is something of a holy grail in the world of popular music. Think Beyonce and her country single last year. Kneecap have done this with politics, and it is a sign of the times both in their country and across the global sphere.
To understand how a rap group that performs in the Irish language could have become a global ticket, I think you need to go back to what made them. First, the name of the name of the band is evocative of the Irish Troubles, the 30 years of terrorism that put British control of Northern Ireland on the global agenda. The Irish Republican Army (IRA) had a particular way of punishing its dissenters and that has been recycled in the name of the band.
In that fight, there was a particular phenomenon of the tout – a person who informed on IRA activity to the security forces . There was an immense stigma within the community against the idea of someone selling out to the oppressor. The fate of those blamed for doing this was gun to the back of knee that blew off the kneecap.
Thirty years later, it is now in the pop culture, though I would guess few of the tens of thousands that throng the band's venues have thought through what their name is about. The three members – Mo Chara, DJ Provai and Moglai Bap, whose real names are Liam Og O hAnnaidh, JJ O Dochartaigh and Naoise O Caireallain, respectively – saw their upbringings shaped by Gaelicisation of parts of the nationalist community in cities like Belfast.
Indeed, Moglai Bap's father, Gearoid O Caireallain, was an activist for the cause of promoting the Irish language, particularly in the 1980s and 1990s. His death last year was undoubtedly a major point of transition for the group. Irish President Michael D Higgins paid tribute to the loss of this “major figure”.
The cause goes on, and while Mo Chara has a court date of June 18 in Westminster Magistrates' Court, the band continue to perform. After Oxford Street, it was Brockwell Park in south-east London. The festival crowd were given a defiant message: that the group's support for the Palestinian cause would not be bowed or broken by prosecution. Indeed, to the band the word prosecution is synonymous with persecution.
“We’re being made an example of,” declared Mo Chara on the stage of the Wide Awake Festival. “The Israeli lobbyists are trying to prove to other artists: ‘If you speak out, we’re going to hit you where it hurts most’.
“Believe me lads, I wish I didn't have to do this," he added. "But the world's not listening. The world needs to see solidarity of 20,000 people in a park in London chanting, 'Free, free Palestine!’"
Crossover recognition is something of a holy grail in the world of popular music. Think Beyonce and her country single last year. Kneecap have done this with politics
It is a message that the group has made no bones about since the latest conflict in Gaza erupted. From their perspective, the Gaza plight is a war of oppression every bit as grim and crushing as that waged on Ireland over centuries. Giving voice to the rejection of that onslaught is something natural and obvious for Kneecap. Steeped in violence and its consequences, Kneecap, as the name suggests, do not shy away from defiance.
Having performed at the US festival Coachella and proclaimed Israel was committing genocide in Gaza with US backing, the group faced calls for a US visa ban. The television celebrity Sharon Osbourne led the calls to ban the group from the US for open support of terrorist organisations.
In the UK, the profile of Kneecap has grown far beyond the subject matter of their material. They vigorously contest the allegations against them. The June 18 charge related to a performance in November, when Mo Chara allegedly displayed a flag in support of proscribed organisation Hezbollah.
The group has apologised to the families of the murdered MPs David Amess and Jo Cox after another onstage snippet was discovered, in which one of the group declared: "The only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your local MP." Kneecap claim the clip has been exploited and weaponised against them.
The court appearance next month is therefore just one more way station in the controversial career of Kneecap. Their essential point is that they are not responsible for the tens of thousands that have died in Gaza.
Their radical views are a product of the culture and beliefs that formed them, and any type of establishment criticism or police action serves to reinforce their outlook. The image of the band is, in mainstream terms, defiant, and that chimes with festival goers who want to give expression to their outrage over the images they see of what is happening in Gaza. Elton John, another music luminary, praised Kneecap, and commented that it was unusual for a band to bring politics to the stage.
Terrorism charges have followed but Kneecap will continue to assert its politics. Politics is their lifeblood because of where they grew up and the people around them. Don’t expect court appearances to make any difference to that singular fact.
The specs: 2018 Peugeot 5008
Price, base / as tested: Dh99,900 / Dh134,900
Engine: 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power: 165hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 240Nm @ 1,400rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 5.8L / 100km
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Ultra processed foods
- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns
- margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars;
- energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces
- infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes,
- many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts.
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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The bio
Job: Coder, website designer and chief executive, Trinet solutions
School: Year 8 pupil at Elite English School in Abu Hail, Deira
Role Models: Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk
Dream City: San Francisco
Hometown: Dubai
City of birth: Thiruvilla, Kerala
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Dengue%20fever%20symptoms
%3Cul%3E%0A%3Cli%3EHigh%20fever%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EIntense%20pain%20behind%20your%20eyes%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3ESevere%20headache%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EMuscle%20and%20joint%20pains%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3ENausea%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EVomiting%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3ESwollen%20glands%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3ERash%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3C%2Ful%3E%0A%3Cp%3EIf%20symptoms%20occur%2C%20they%20usually%20last%20for%20two-seven%20days%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
THE BIO
Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979
Education: UAE University, Al Ain
Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6
Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma
Favourite book: Science and geology
Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC
Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
CONFIRMED%20LINE-UP
%3Cp%3EElena%20Rybakina%20(Kazakhstan)%0D%3Cbr%3EOns%20Jabeur%20(Tunisia)%0D%3Cbr%3EMaria%20Sakkari%20(Greece)%0D%3Cbr%3EBarbora%20Krej%C4%8D%C3%ADkov%C3%A1%20(Czech%20Republic)%0D%3Cbr%3EBeatriz%20Haddad%20Maia%20(Brazil)%0D%3Cbr%3EJe%C4%BCena%20Ostapenko%20(Latvia)%0D%3Cbr%3ELiudmila%20Samsonova%0D%3Cbr%3EDaria%20Kasatkina%E2%80%AF%0D%3Cbr%3EVeronika%20Kudermetova%E2%80%AF%0D%3Cbr%3ECaroline%20Garcia%20(France)%E2%80%AF%0D%3Cbr%3EMagda%20Linette%20(Poland)%E2%80%AF%0D%3Cbr%3ESorana%20C%C3%AErstea%20(Romania)%E2%80%AF%0D%3Cbr%3EAnastasia%20Potapova%E2%80%AF%0D%3Cbr%3EAnhelina%20Kalinina%20(Ukraine)%E2%80%AF%E2%80%AF%0D%3Cbr%3EJasmine%20Paolini%20(Italy)%E2%80%AF%0D%3Cbr%3EEmma%20Navarro%20(USA)%E2%80%AF%0D%3Cbr%3ELesia%20Tsurenko%20(Ukraine)%0D%3Cbr%3ENaomi%20Osaka%20(Japan)%20-%20wildcard%0D%3Cbr%3EEmma%20Raducanu%20(Great%20Britain)%20-%20wildcard%3Cbr%3EAlexandra%20Eala%20(Philippines)%20-%20wildcard%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Yuki Means Happiness
Alison Jean Lester
John Murray
Company: Instabug
Founded: 2013
Based: Egypt, Cairo
Sector: IT
Employees: 100
Stage: Series A
Investors: Flat6Labs, Accel, Y Combinator and angel investors
RACE SCHEDULE
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Friday, September 29
First practice: 7am - 8.30am
Second practice: 11am - 12.30pm
Saturday, September 30
Qualifying: 1pm - 2pm
Sunday, October 1
Race: 11am - 1pm
The specs: 2019 BMW X4
Price, base / as tested: Dh276,675 / Dh346,800
Engine: 3.0-litre turbocharged in-line six-cylinder
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 354hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 500Nm @ 1,550rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 9.0L / 100km
