The West Belfast trio say they are challenging the UK government’s decision to revoke their arts council funding application. They claim that denying the grant discriminates against them on grounds of nationality and political opinion. West Belfast rappers Kneecap have been granted permission by Northern Ireland’s High Court to challenge a decision by the British government to block funding from a music promotion scheme.
The Irish language artists were awarded a £15,000 grant under the Music Export Growth Scheme (MEGS), which was subsequently withdrawn by UK Business and Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch. Badenoch had announced £1.6 million funding in February, to boost 67 artists from across the UK and support homegrown musical talent.
Kneecap stated that that despite their application being approved by the selection board, it was subsequently blocked by the British government. They claim that denying the grant discriminates against them on grounds of nationality and political opinion. In February, they released a statement to X claiming they were being silenced by the UK government.
A spokesperson for Badenoch said at the time that the government did not want to fund “people that oppose the United Kingdom itself”. Legal proceedings against the “unlawful” decision were started, with Darragh Mackin of Phoenix Law, representing Kneecap, saying that the decision represented an attack on identity, freedom of expression and the fundamentals of the Good Friday Agreement..