UK government acted illegally in stopping funding to Kneecap, court rules: “This was an attack on artistic culture”

nme.com:

Kneecap.The Belfast trio originally accused the government of attempting to “silence” them, following a last-minute block in February of funds from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) funding award – issued under the Music Export Growth Scheme (MEGS) to support the expansion of bands in global markets.Kneecap alleged that the government had stopped the funding due to their provocative 2019 anti-DUP tour poster, which they claimed “pissed off the Tories”.Then, in June, the band revealed that they had been granted permission to challenge the block, with a court appearance scheduled for November 14.

They argued that the government’s denial of the grant unlawfully discriminated against them based on their nationality and political opinion.Now, a court has ruled that the move was in fact illegal, and Kneecap have received the £14,250 prize, which they revealed they have distributed to two charities in Belfast.In a statement shared today (November 29), the band wrote: “Today, unsurprisingly the British government’s own courts ruled that they acted illegally in stopping funding to Kneecap.“For us this action was never about £14,250, it could have been 50 pence.

The motivation was equality. This was an attack on artistic culture, an attack on the Good Friday Agreement itself and an attack on Kneecap and our way of expressing ourselves,” they continued.Kneecap have sent “the full amount awarded” to two youth organisations in their native Belfast – both of which “work with the two communities to create a better future for our young people”.Half of the funding (£7,125) will go to Glór Na Móna, an organisation that promotes the Irish language in Ballymurphy, and the other half will go to RCity Belfast, an organisation that.