Irish band Kneecap wins discrimination lawsuit against UK government | Ent & Arts News

Irish rap group Kneecap has won its discrimination claim against the UK government after former Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch refused to grant it funding.

The trio, who have come under criticism from former Tory government lawmakers over some of their lyrics, have taken legal action, claiming the decision to withhold subsidies discriminated against them on the grounds of nationalism and political opinions.

After a brief hearing at the High Court in Belfast on Friday, the government agreed to pay the band £14,250, the same amount as the subsidy.

The group's application for the Music Export Growth Scheme, which supports UK-registered artists in global markets, was initially approved by the UK Recording Industry.

But Ms Badenoch, now Conservative leader, rejected the grant when she was business secretary. This is because the grants are overseen by the Department for Business and Trade and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

A government spokesman at the time said it fully supported freedom of speech but was “unsurprised” it did not want to hand out British taxpayers' money to those who oppose the country.

The band said on Friday it would donate the money to two youth groups in Belfast – a nationalist group and a union local youth group.

Image: DJ Provai outside the High Court in Belfast with the band's lawyer. Photo:PA

'They tried to silence us'

Band member DJ Provai arrived at court in an old Land Rover that looked like a police vehicle, flying Irish and Palestinian flags and blaring loud music.

He normally wore an Irish tricolor balaclava, which he took off when entering the court building.

After the hearing, DJ Provai, whose real name is JJ O'Dochartaigh, said the band's motivation was “equality”.

“For us it was never something like £14,250 – it could have been 50p,” he said.

“This was an attack on artistic culture, an attack on the Good Friday Agreement itself, an attack on the Nicap and the way we express ourselves.”

Image: Photo: PA

“Former Secretary of State Kemi Badenok and his department acted illegally,” he said, adding, “This has now become a fact.”

“They tried to silence us, but they failed.”

The Commerce Department said in a statement that the government's priority is “to reduce costs and protect taxpayers from additional costs.”

The government said it would not contest Nicap's challenge because it did not believe it was in the public interest.

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Who is the patella?

Formed in west Belfast in 2017, Kneecap is made up of three friends who go by the stage names Mo Chara, Moglai Bap and DJ Provai.

The group has previously expressed views supporting Irish unity, with its provocative posters from its 2019 “Farewell to the Union” tour particularly upsetting the Conservatives.

Their song Brits Out – which they told Sky News earlier this year was a mockery of government rule – also caused controversy and was banned from air by Irish public broadcaster RTE due to its references to drug use.

However, the band enjoyed great success both on stage and screen.

Earlier this year they released Kneecap, a biopic starring Irish-German actor and Oscar nominee Michael Fassbender.

The film has been compared by critics to Trainspotting, 8 Mile and 24 Hour Party People, and in January it won the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival, an internationally recognized showcase of independent films.

It has also been selected as Ireland's official submission to the Best International Feature Film shortlist for the 2025 Oscars.

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