A rap trio who had been criticised earlier this week for unveiling a mural depicting a burning PSNI Land Rover mentioned they “haven’t stopped laughing” over the row.
Okayneecap revealed the paintings in west Belfast’s Falls Highway forward of their Feile An Phobail gig at Falls Park final Saturday.
The picture featured a PSNI Land Rover in flames accompanied by the writing “nil fáilte roimh an RUC”, the Irish translation for “the RUC aren’t welcome”.
The picture was condemned by unionist politicians together with DUP chief Sir Jeffrey Donaldson who referred to as it “offensive to each serving police officer in Northern Eire”.
The Ulster Unionist Occasion chief Doug Beattie instructed the hip-hop trio’s actions had fostered hatred and was “grooming a brand new technology of younger individuals with insidious messaging.”
Chatting with The Guardian newspaper on Friday group members Moglai Bap and Mo Chara disputed the picture was sectarian in nature.
“We haven’t stopped laughing,” Moglai Bap mentioned.
“We left for Europe the day after all of it kicked off. We had no converters for our telephones so we haven’t had loads of entry to social media for the previous couple of days.
“Our supervisor contacted us to tell us the craic however we hadn’t learn something.
“The fact is we’re caught within the center.
“Not solely do we've loyalists and unionists on one aspect, we've dissident republicans on the opposite. I feel that sums up what we stand for.
“It’s not like we’re the cultural wing of the CIRA [Continuity Irish Republican Army] or one thing.”
“Anti-police sentiment has been longstanding within the hip-hop group. This isn’t new. We didn’t burn a police Land Rover, we painted one.
“Some individuals are extra apprehensive a couple of piece of artwork than the effigies of actual politicians hanging off bonfires. We don’t need to be combating or advocating violence. We wish individuals to be considering.”
Criticism of the group’s artwork additionally got here from the Justice Minister Naomi Lengthy who claimed she didn't assume the mural would do the band “any hurt” and that they “court docket controversy”.
Through the week, the group personally thanked “the DUP and their supporters” for his or her response to current occasions.
“It was simply complicated greater than something,” added Mo Chara.
“I appeared on the... factor one million instances, considering: ‘How is that this in any means sectarian?’
“We took the design from a PSNI colouring e-book despatched out to varsities as a result of they'd such poor help from younger individuals locally.”
Moglai Bap added: “We’re not a military. We’re simply three boys from Belfast making a little bit of artwork.”
“As for the entire mural factor? It’s all a bit Kneecap ate my hamster.”
The hip-hop band has grow to be well-known for its anti-unionist rhetoric and controversial music up to now.
In 2019, the west Belfast outfit defended their advert for an upcoming tour, which featured the then DUP chief Arlene Foster strapped to a rocket on prime of a bonfire.
Earlier that 12 months, the group was additionally condemned for its "outrageous behaviour" after they led chants of "Get the Brits out now" on the Empire pub in south Belfast, which had been visited by Prince William and Kate Middleton a day earlier.