The Kneecap row makes our cultural elite look like brazen hypocrites
Although Kneecap insist that they've 'never' supported those two proscribed terrorist organisations, say they 'reject any suggestion that we would seek to incite violence against any MP', and claim that the footage has been 'taken out of all context', it seems not everyone's convinced. They've been dropped from a music festival in Cornwall, and seen several gigs cancelled in Germany.
Thankfully for them, however, they've now had some good news. More than 100 of Britain's leading pop stars – including Paul Weller, Brian Eno, Thin Lizzy and Primal Scream – have signed an open letter, stoutly defending Kneecap's 'artistic freedom of expression'.
'This past week has seen a clear, concerted attempt to censor and ultimately deplatform the band Kneecap,' proclaim these brave and principled musicians. 'The question of agreeing with Kneecap's political views is irrelevant: it is in the key interests of every artist that all creative expression be protected in a society that values culture, and that this interference campaign is condemned and ridiculed.'
These sentiments are of course wonderfully noble. I wonder, however, if I might ask these courageous artists to consider the following hypothetical scenario.
Imagine there were a rap trio that loudly supported causes that were unmistakably Right-wing, rather than Left-wing. And now imagine that, in a piece of concert footage, a member of this trio appeared to declare, 'The only good Leftie is a dead Leftie. Kill your local Labour MP!' And that, in another piece of concert footage, a member appeared to shout, 'Up the KKK!'
In response, would these same 100-plus pop stars rush to sign an open letter, stoutly defending the Right-wing trio's 'artistic freedom of expression'? Would they say that 'the question of agreeing with' the Right-wing trio's 'political views' was 'irrelevant'? And would they dismiss criticism of the Right-wing trio as an 'interference campaign' that must be 'condemned and ridiculed'? Indeed, would they do all this even before the Met's counter-terrorism officers had finished investigating the footage?
I wonder. But, since we're on the subject, I can't help remembering that, in 2023, the singer Roisin Murphy saw two of her concerts cancelled after she argued that puberty blockers should not be given to children who are confused about their gender identity. I don't seem to recall many open letters from celebrities leaping to her defence. Or many open letters in defence of another singer, Louise Distras, when, that same year, she said that she'd been dropped by her booking agent for refusing to agree that 'trans women are women'.
Of course, pop stars are very busy people, so it probably isn't possible for them to sign an open letter every time a fellow artist's free expression is under threat. Thank goodness they've at least managed to find the time on this occasion, when the artist just happens to be anti-Tory, anti-Israel, and Left-wing.
For a good two months, Adolescence – the Netflix drama about a boy who stabs a girl to death after watching sexist videos online – appeared to drive our liberal elite absolutely potty. Indeed, their hysteria rose to such a frenzied pitch that, at one point, two scandalised BBC interviewers asked Kemi Badenoch why on earth she hadn't watched it yet.
Given that they were referring to a piece of TV fiction, their indignation was extraordinary. I'm fairly sure that, in the 1990s, there were no editions of Newsnight in which Jeremy Paxman barked, 'Secretary of State, I'll ask you once again. Have you, or have you not, watched last night's Brookside yet?'
'Jeremy, I'm afraid I—'
'It's a simple yes or no question.'
'But I just don't see why—'
'Secretary of State, Brookside is regularly watched by as many as seven million British people. Are you really telling us that you're so out of touch, you don't know that Julia (Gladys Ambrose) was pipped at the post for the job in the flower shop, while Peter (Robert Black) had to rescue Anna (Kazia Pelka) from a tricky situation?'
Still, it wasn't just BBC types who were obsessed with Adolescence. Sir Keir Starmer was, too. He even said it should be shown in every school.
Since the PM is so anxious for pupils to learn about vital issues of national debate, I wonder whether he's seen a new programme aired this week by Channel 4. Groomed is a documentary about the grooming gangs scandal. And unlike Adolescence, which is about fictional events, Groomed is about events that are all too horrifically real.
I'll be impressed, therefore, if Sir Keir announces that Groomed is to be shown in every school. I suspect, however, that he won't, bearing in mind his deep reluctance to hold a full national inquiry into its subject matter. Frankly, we're more likely to get a full national inquiry into why Kemi Badenoch hasn't watched Adolescence.
'Way of the World' is a twice-weekly satirical look at the headlines while aiming to mock the absurdities of the modern world. It is published at 6am every Tuesday and Saturday
Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
26 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Hamas Releases Video of Israeli Hostage Evyatar David
Galya David (L) and Ilay Yosef David (R), mother and brother, sit next to a portrait of Evyatar David, who was captured by Hamas militants during the October 7 attack and is being held hostage in Gaza, as they attend a press conference in Athens on November 6, 2023. Credit - Angelos Tzortzinis—AFP/Getty Images Hamas has released a propaganda video showing a severely emaciated Israeli hostage being held in what appears to be an underground tunnel in Gaza, the first video of its kind in months. Evyatar David, 24, was kidnapped at the Nova Music Festival on Oct. 7, 2023, during the terrorist attack by Hamas in which 1,200 people were killed and 250 taken hostage. The video shows David looking visibly gaunt as he ticks off days on a calendar in a narrow tunnel. Another section of the video shows him being forced to dig a hole in the ground that he says will be his grave. The Hamas propaganda video is interspersed with images of starving Palestinian children. David, a guitar and piano player who comes from a musical family, is one of an estimated 20 living hostages still being held by Hamas and other militants. Of the estimated 250 people taken during the Hamas terror attack on October 7, 140 have been released during negotiations, 8 have been rescued, and the bodies of 57 who died in captivity or during rescue attempts have been recovered. Read More: The Tragedy Unfolding in Gaza David's family, who asked for the video not to be published, said in a statement that he had been 'deliberately and cynically starved in Hamas's tunnels in Gaza,' describing him as 'a living skeleton, buried alive.' 'The deliberate starvation of our son as part of a propaganda campaign is one of the most horrifying acts the world has seen. He is being starved purely to serve Hamas's propaganda,' they added. The video release comes a day after Palestinian Islamic Jihad, another militant group with ties to Hamas, also released a video of another Israeli hostage, Rom Braslavski. President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff met with the families of the hostages in Tel Aviv on Saturday, where he told them that Trump and he believe they will be 'successful' in negotiating a deal to bring all of the hostages home. 'Now we have to get all the 20 [live hostages] at the same time... we think that we have to shift this negotiation to all or nothing so that everybody comes home. We think it is going to be successful and we have a plan around it,' Witkoff said, according to Axios. 'President Trump now believes that everybody ought to come home at once - no piecemeal deals. That doesn't work.' Ceasefire talks have continued to stall between Hamas and Israel as a starvation crisis spreads in Gaza, with a United Nations (UN)-backed international food security body warning that there is a 'worst-case famine scenario' unfolding in the region. Read more: The Malnutrition Crisis in Gaza Will Outlive the War The UN said this week that humanitarian access to Gaza 'remains severely restricted,' and the UN World Food Programme (WFP) director of emergencies said the level of starvation was 'unlike anything we have seen in this century.' It added that Israel is now allowing 'humanitarian pauses' with more than 100 aid trucks allowed to enter Gaza on Sunday. Witkoff and the U.S. ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, visited an aid site in Gaza run by the controversial Israel and U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) on Friday, as the United Nations said that over 1,373 Palestinians have been killed while seeking food since the end of May, including 859 at GHF sites. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in response that reports of civilian casualties near distribution sites are under review. 'The IDF allows the American civilian organization (GHF) to operate independently in distributing aid to the residents of Gaza, and operates in proximity to the new distribution areas in order to enable the orderly delivery of food,' it said in a statement to TIME. 'IDF forces are conducting systematic review processes in order to improve the operational response in the area and minimize, as much as possible, any friction between the civilian population and IDF forces,' it continued. Contact us at letters@


New York Post
28 minutes ago
- New York Post
Queen's ‘Garden of Hate' taking case to federal court, rips judge and ‘scurrilous' NY Post coverage
The fight over a community garden in Queens is getting thornier. The attorney for the anti-Israel leaders of Sunset Community Garden in Ridgewood withdrew their state lawsuit against the city and the Parks Department — to make a federal case out of the issue. Since last fall, Jewish Ridgewood residents haven't felt welcome at Sunset Community Garden, thanks to the garden group's pro-Palestinian rhetoric, which included a special section labeled 'Poppies for Palestine.' 4 Some local residents said they do not feel welcome in the community garden, whose leaders asked incoming members to pledge 'solidarity' with the people of Palestine. Instagram @sunsetgardenridgewood Incoming members are also made to pledge 'solidarity with the oppressed and marginalized people' of Palestine' by the garden's management. The Parks Department wanted the group out by June 6 for 'violat[ing] the terms of their license' with the 'unconstitutional wording' of their 'ideological litmus test' for membership, according to court documents. The group responded with a state lawsuit in early June to block the eviction, and The Post was in the courtroom when attorneys for both sides met in court this month. But Jonathan Wallace, the garden leaders' attorney, withdrew the state lawsuit Monday, and told the city he plans to refile the case in federal court, a source said. In a letter this week, the lawyer accused Judge Hasa Kingo of allowing the 'scurrilous' New York Post's coverage to guide his rulings in court. 'The plaintiffs in this case are a community group composed largely of trans people of color, many of whom are immigrants, and who share a powerfully-rooted moral opposition to the horrifying violence committed by a political entity, the nation-state Israel, against the people of Gaza,' the letter read. 4 Attorney Jonathan Wallace objected to coverage from The Post. Michael Nagle 4 The garden's leaders are fighting the city's efforts to oust them. Helayne Seidman 'We could not be further from the ideals and goals stated by Justices Holmes and Brandeis when the Post appears to be influencing outcomes in judicial proceedings,' he added. 'As an old white, proudly Jewish attorney (something that in a 43-year career I never thought until now I would need to mention) I like and am content to be associated with' the garden leaders, Wallace concluded in his letter to Kingo. Christina Wilkinson — a Ridgewood resident who worked to secure funding for the green space, but is now one of its most vocal critics — said the switch to federal court a 'stall tactic,' and believes 'Parks must now remove the violators and find a community partner that will make Sunset Garden an open and inclusive place for all.' 4 Members planting in the garden in June 2024. Instagram @sunsetgardenridgewood She added, 'You have to love the irony of an attorney arguing that the City violated his clients' First Amendment rights, then turning around and complaining about [a Post reporter] being present in the courtroom.' Wallace did not respond to multiple requests for comment. The Parks Department refused to respond to requests for comment.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
GOP activist reveals why New Jersey is not 'just a Democrat state' in push to flip governorship
Republican activist Scott Presler is pushing voter registration and turnout efforts in New Jersey in hopes of flipping the governorship red in November. Presler focused his 2024 efforts for the election on the neighboring battleground state of Pennsylvania, which went red, but said his group Early Vote Action is focusing on the Garden State based on promising numbers for Republicans in recent years. "So, I think the best place to start is a lot of people think that New Jersey is blue. However, look at 2021, and I think that context is Jack Ciattarelli, who is our Trump-endorsed Republican candidate this November, just narrowly lost the governorship in 2021, four years prior by 84,000 votes, and that was a much less favorable environment for the Republican Party, for Donald Trump, etc.," Presler said in an interview with Fox News Digital. "And so the fact that we were still close back then shows the appetite that it's not just a Democrat state." Democrat Mikie Sherrill Wins Nj Gubernatorial Primary, Setting Up Showdown With Trump-backed Gop Winner In 2024, President Donald Trump lost the state by a narrower margin than expected, as he garnered 46% of the vote, compared with just over 41% in 2020. In 2021, Republican Jack Ciattarelli, who is the nominee again, lost to Gov. Phil Murphy by just over 84,000 votes, which was a much tighter race than the 2017 gubernatorial election. This year, Rep. Mikie Sherrill is the Democratic nominee as Murphy is wrapping up two consecutive terms in office. Presler said that team is "very diverse," and they're doing a variety of outreach efforts to not only boost turnout in deep-red areas of the state, but also to connect with key communities in the state, including Jewish, Muslim, Hispanic and Black Americans. Read On The Fox News App "I definitely think that the America First emblem or the America First motto, that has been key to saying, 'Listen, why are we the personal piggy bank of the rest of the world? Why aren't we investing in the infrastructure and education here in our country?' Whereas Democrats wanna put the rest of the globe first and not American citizens," Presler said. Trump-backed Jack Ciattarelli Captures Gop Nomination For New Jersey Governor He noted that in many areas of the state that border Pennsylvania, there are "shared values" that help better understand the electorate. "Our strategy is we want sky-high voter turnout in the rural areas. Therefore, Hunterdon, Salem, Warren, Sussex, those are going to be key to our victory. And sure, the margins of the vote population aren't huge there," he said. "But in a state that was decided by 84,000 votes four years ago, you betcha that a thousand here or a thousand there is gonna make a difference." The race, along with other off-year contests, could be an earlier indicator of the political environment headed into the midterm election and the 2028 presidential race. The activist noted that in New Jersey, touting key Trump policies, like the creation of a major tax deduction on tips, could be crucial to getting out the vote. Trump Not On Ballot, But President Front And Center In New Jersey's Primary For Governor "You have our beautiful casinos over there," Presler said of Atlantic City. "What did President Trump and the Republican Party just put forth with the BBB? No tax on tips, no tax on overtime. A lot of New Jersey is tourist-centered, and a lot of it is working class in the hospitality industry. I think there's going to be a direct correlation between the economy getting better and the people of New Jersey, especially independent voters coming over for President Trump," he said. The general election in the Garden State is Nov. 4. Virginia is the only other state with a gubernatorial election this article source: GOP activist reveals why New Jersey is not 'just a Democrat state' in push to flip governorship