Irish Examiner view: Kneecap and the debate over free speech 

The rap group are not the only Irish creatives facing the wrath of the British establishment

People attend a music session in Dublin's Temple Bar area to show solidarity for Kneecap's Liam Og O hAnnaidh after he appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court in London. Picture:  Niall Carson/PA

Yesterday, Kneecap rapper Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, better known by his stage name Mo Chara, was in court in London. He faces a terrorism charge for allegedly displaying a flag in support of Hezbollah at a gig in London last year.

Kneecap have been in the spotlight for months because of their support for the Palestinian cause, and Ó hAnnaidh’s latest court appearance attracted a huge amount of publicity, with hundreds present to support him as he entered Westminster magistrates’ court. He is due back in court next month.

The case has sparked much debate about free speech in general and the treatment of Kneecap in particular. Many pointed comparisons have been drawn between the band’s treatment, for instance, and the laissez-faire attitude of the authorities in Northern Ireland recently when it came to sectarian displays around loyalist marches and bonfires.

Kneecap are not the only Irish creatives facing the wrath of the British establishment, of course.

It emerged this week that novelist Sally Rooney, a native of Mayo, could face arrest if she visits Britain for supporting Palestine Action, a proscribed organisation in the UK. Rooney has said she will continue to fund the organisation by using royalties from the televised versions of her books.

This points up the essential absurdity of this legislation. Observers have noted that the BBC itself could be liable for prosecution if it continues to pay Rooney royalties, given she has declared her intentions to give the money to Palestine Action — yet the broadcaster would clearly be in breach of its contractual obligations if it withheld payment.

The Kneecap and Sally Rooney cases can be seen as examples of judicial overreach and legislative incompetence respectively. Responding excessively to musicians’ misbehaviour has been a feature of British justice going back to the Rolling Stones, while the consequences of laws enacted in haste have a far lengthier pedigree.

However, it is also difficult to avoid the sense that the British establishment is focusing on Irish artists specifically here, with all that that implies. These cases will be watched very closely.

Race for the Áras heats up

A couple of days ago, we made the reasonable observation that the race for the Phoenix Park had not really caught fire, but then the old saw about a week being a long time in politics clicked into action.

Early frontrunner Catherine Connolly has been learning what every presidential candidate learns soon enough — that throwing one’s hat in the ring invites close scrutiny of one’s track record. Ms Connolly’s visit to Syria in 2018 has been widely publicised, for instance, as have some contradictory comments she made about our Defence Forces last weekend.

Another candidate has had to do some fire fighting of his own in recent days, again, because of the focus on his past.

Gareth Sheridan’s emergence caught the headlines given his youth and freshness, but as recently as last weekend, he had to backtrack on how much revenue his company generates, while this newspaper has reported on fines levied on that company by the US government.

Yet the real blood sport has been in Fine Gael in recent days, with the coalition partners scrambling to find an alternative to Mairead McGuinness, their fancied candidate, who dropped out of the race last week.

Former minister Heather Humphreys was the warm favourite to replace McGuinness at the time of writing, though MEP Seán Kelly, another possibility, was remaining positive about his chances. Still, he appears destined for the role played by Albert Reynolds in 1997 — the runner-up forced to put on a brave face. If Humphreys succeeds, as expected, Fine Gael will have an experienced politician in the running, though her CV will surely be inspected with the same rigour as the other participants.

Of course, Fianna Fáil has not yet picked someone for the race, and given its track record of success in presidential elections there will be considerable interest in its preferred candidate. Will it be an eminence grise like Bertie Ahern, a celebrity candidate out of left field, or a serving minister?

Attention is well and truly focused on the race now.

Child's play

The schools are reopening, with all that that entails, from new stationery to battered school bags. For many readers with children of primary school age, an entirely new accessory may feature on many back-to-school shopping lists: The Labubu doll.

For any readers not familiar with them, these are small furry dolls, which have been taken up by celebrities such as David Beckham and Rihanna. They are the perfect size to be attached to a schoolbag, but the manufacturers, seeing how popular they are with children and young people, are believed to be working on an even smaller model that can be hooked up to a mobile phone.

Pop Mart, the Chinese company responsible for the Labubu, is doing very well — it is on track to meet its targeted revenue goal for 2025 of €2.4bn and its CEO stated recently that reaching €3.6bn should be “quite easy”.

The company’s net profit has soared by approximately 400% in the last year.

The bad news is that demand for the dolls is so high that harassed parents may struggle to find the genuine article — last month some dolls were recalled from a shop in Wexford amid concerns that they were not genuine, for instance.

Parents who recall the fads of yesteryear may feel a little grateful that they only had to deal with the likes of the fidget spinner.