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\n\tAs the controversy surrounding Belfast hip-hop trio Kneecap<\/a> continues to swirl, former Sex Pistols vocalist John Lydon has weighed in on the debate.<\/p>\n \n\tLydon, who fronted the pioneering U.K. punk band from 1975 until 1978 and on their numerous reunions until 2008 as Johnny Rotten, made his comments in the wake of the myriad controversies faced by Kneecap in recent weeks.<\/p>\n \n\tHowever, while speaking to Good Morning Britain <\/em>on Wednesday (May 8), the program\u2019s host brought up a recent incident in which Kneecap issued an apology<\/a> for archival footage<\/a> which showed the group allegedly calling for the death of British MPs (members of parliament).\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tFilmed at a London gig in November 2023, it appears to show one member of the band saying: \u201cThe only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your local MP.\u201d At the time, the Conservative Party \u2013 also known as the Tories \u2013 were in government with a large majority.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cIf you\u2019re advocating the death of another human being, then you have no cause whatsoever,\u201d Lydon said<\/a> in response to the incident. \u201cYou are my enemy from here on in for the rest of your mediocre existence. You shouldn\u2019t be talking like that, you shouldn\u2019t be making enemies of your fellow human beings. Other than that, maybe they need a bloody good kneecapping!\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tIn the context of the matter, \u2018kneecapping\u2019 \u2013 the term from which the trio take their name \u2013 refers to how Northern Ireland paramilitaries would take the law into their own hands during The Troubles by inflicting injuries on those accused of criminal or antisocial behaviour, usually with a gunshot to the knee.<\/p>\n \n\tLydon also commented on Kneecap\u2019s apparent attempts to generate controversy in the modern age by claiming they\u2019re taking cues from the Sex Pistols\u2019 playbook. \u201cI think they\u2019re following what they think is the Sex Pistols route,\u201d he added. \u201cIt\u2019s helpful, isn\u2019t it, when you get the Financial Times<\/em> propping you up.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tKneecap made global headlines following their appearance at the Coachella<\/a> festival in April, where they projected strong anti-Israel sentiments<\/a> during their set \u2013 sentiments which they had claimed<\/a> were censored during their first weekend appearance.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cIsrael is committing genocide against the Palestinian people,\u201d the projected messages<\/a> read. \u201cIt is being enabled by the U.S. government who arm and fund Israel despite their war crimes. F\u2013k Israel; free Palestine.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tThe backlash to Kneecap\u2019s comments were swift and varied, with Sharon Osbourne calling for the band\u2019s work visas<\/a> to be revoked ahead of another North American tour later in the year, while the trio would soon split<\/a> with their booking agent, Independent Artist Group.<\/p>\n \n\tLydon has been rather prolific in terms of public comment in recent weeks, having recently taken to disparaging<\/a> the nascent version<\/a> of the Sex Pistols which have been touring with Frank Carter on lead vocals, and distancing himself from any potential reunions with his former bandmates.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cNot after what I consider their dirty deeds, let them wallow in Walt Disney woke expectations,\u201d he said in response<\/a> to the notion of returning to the role of vocalist. \u201cThey\u2019ve killed the content, or done their best to, and turned the whole thing into a rubbish, childishness, and that\u2019s unacceptable.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cSorry, I\u2019m not going to give a helping hand to this any longer, as far as I am concerned, I am the Pistols, and they\u2019re not.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n