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.
Ziina users can donate to relief efforts in Beirut
Ziina users will be able to use the app to help relief efforts in Beirut, which has been left reeling after an August blast caused an estimated $15 billion in damage and left thousands homeless. Ziina has partnered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to raise money for the Lebanese capital, co-founder Faisal Toukan says. “As of October 1, the UNHCR has the first certified badge on Ziina and is automatically part of user's top friends' list during this campaign. Users can now donate any amount to the Beirut relief with two clicks. The money raised will go towards rebuilding houses for the families that were impacted by the explosion.”
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Cricket World Cup League 2 Fixtures
Saturday March 5, UAE v Oman, ICC Academy (all matches start at 9.30am)
Sunday March 6, Oman v Namibia, ICC Academy
Tuesday March 8, UAE v Namibia, ICC Academy
Wednesday March 9, UAE v Oman, ICC Academy
Friday March 11, Oman v Namibia, Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Saturday March 12, UAE v Namibia, Sharjah Cricket Stadium
UAE squad
Ahmed Raza (captain), Chirag Suri, Muhammad Waseem, CP Rizwan, Vriitya Aravind, Asif Khan, Basil Hameed, Rohan Mustafa, Kashif Daud, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Karthik Meiyappan, Akif Raja, Rahul Bhatia
THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
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Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
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
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