Why are Kneecap not in prison?

[BlossomBlanket]

But Lucy Connelly is? Kneecap told people to kill their MPs. Why have they not been arrested.

(To be very clear, I do not condone violence of any kind towards anyone, I'm just asking as this seems like a double standard, can someone explain?)

Absolutely unacceptable to invite violence towards MPs.

It is also utterly unacceptable, and illegal, to show support for Hamas, Hezbollah and the IRA. Which they have been very vocal about.

They have however still not been arrested, and are free to continue this hate speech and terrorist support. The fact that they have followers is very disturbing: there are a lot of very sick individuals.

Yes it is. Recklessly expressing support for proscribed terror organizations is illegal as is encouraging others to do so

For those that choose to be offended, perhaps. You may not like it but NI is literally part of the UK, so framing GB as ‘mainland’ in relation to it a reflection of fact. Or are we to pretend it isn’t because you’re offended about it?

I absolutely do know about all those things …
Its why Kneecap is wrong to glorify violence

So you know about those things, but you did not see how someone from Northern Ireland could possibly just shrug their shoulders at kneecap’s nonsense unless they were a bigot? When I told you that I saw it as pointless stupidity, instead of thinking “yes, that does make sense if you’re someone who has grown up watching pictures of nationalist politicians being burned on bonfires every year”, you went for “YOU HATE THE ENGLISH, YOU BIGOT”?

Palestinian Flags have also been burned.on the bonfires.

Hold on. This is the first time “Recklessly” had been mentioned by you. That’s the key word (which you omitted previously).

freedom of speech is protected under UK law and I can publically give my support to whoever I choose. it’s up to the courts to decide whether I have been reckless in that.

as I mentioned above I’ve no time for Kneecap (artistically or otherwise) but say they should be silenced or “locked up” is madness. Leave it up to the courts.

Ok - that’s fair enough.
But lots of people do think language like that is dangerous. In the UK we have had 2 MPs killed recently. Jo Cox and David Amess. Both killed by random extremists. It’s not OK to incite hatred even if you’re Kneecap

I don't spend my days glued to mumsnet. Didn't realise there was a time limit on responses. Thank God you're a member of the mumsnet police and could put me right.

That’s not what I said .
You said you were not bothered about death threats to English MPs . I assumed you would care about death threats to other people ( which would mean you were prejudiced against the English)
As it turns out you are unbothered by death threats whoever they are against. So you’re not a bigot .( naive / misguided/ I’ll informed maybe?)

“Kneecaps nonsense”
death threats are not “nonsense” and since we all agree NI is potentially a tinder box of inflammatory views and opinions I think Kneecap’s views could be damaging.

Excuse my error. Think I just made it pretty obvious I don't spend a lot of time on here. In my defence, I'm on nightshift, so there is a reason for being a numpty.

Some people are quick off the mark to be snarky. 😉

You can't possibly have read TACT or be aware of the case law then.

I've worked as a lawyer in the public sector for over 20 years. I can assure you it is an offence.

Scroll down on the link to offences.www.counterterrorism.police.uk/proscription/

I don’t see it as a death threat. A threat against a named individual, yes, I would worry if that was a believable threat. But every summer when they burn the pictures of local politicians I don’t go “OH MY GOD CALL THE POLICE!!”. I go - look, idiots being idiots. if anyone is naive it is you - do you not understand that incitement to violence against other groups is part of every day life in Northern Ireland? It doesn’t make it right, but is explains why I am not shocked.

your twin claims that you a) understand Northern Ireland and b) are surprised that I am not shocked by “kill Tory MPs” rhetoric are not compatible.

I don’t think any of it is relevant to Palestine.

This endless ‘but IRELAND’ whenever a conflict happens elsewhere, just sounds crazed at this point; like people can’t bear for anything else to receive attention and they have to muscle in with the incredibly glib ‘yes we know how that feels because ENGLAND…’

Just appropriating the struggles of other people to get attention.

That’s what Kneecap are doing.

I’ve never condoned the way Britain treated Ireland, because it’s indefensible. I don’t think Ireland should excuse how it’s treated its own people, because they were oppressed not only by Britain but in many cases their own people. So much wrongdoing. But you’re not the only ones to face oppression but it really sounds like you are.

Time to learn to sympathise with others without endlessly inserting yourself into things

Again, this is your lack of insight. Threats of these types in Northern Ireland are generally nonsense and not criminalised in a meaningful way.

What you should be taking from this is a realisation that the situation in Northern Ireland is not at all what you thought.

If you think kneecap are bad the Wolfe Tones are going to blow your mind. They have made a late career revival out of 'ooh ah up the ra'. They played a big show in Finsbury park last summer and they are back over playing in England again in the next few months.

You should maybe organise a picket... 'down with this sort of thing' etc

This is what is making me laugh.

there are anti English rebel songs sung openly in pubs and at weddings up and down the country, and people are genuinely incensed that i’m not frothing at the mouth with righteous shock and outrage.

Did you see what she said?

I’ve been around the kind of rhetoric you describe for much of my life . It was much more prevalent in the 70’s and 80’s when I was growing up.
Im not shocked by it but It’s not something I would condone and it saddens me that things have not moved on.
Bands like Kneecap are keeping the inflammatory rhetoric alive

Ok, but your previous point (the one that’s been deleted) doesn’t make too much sense if you knew these
things happen already.

How else would they get attention? lol

The comment that was deleted was about threats of violence to English MPs - it said that it was bigoted to allow those threats if you object to similar threats against Irish TDS

Im not sure what that has to do with your comment

I was thinking the same thing!!

Tickets were like gold dust when the played in Cork last year.