LONDON: Fans of the Irish-language hip-hop group Kneecap mobbed sidewalks outside a London court Wednesday as a member of the trio faced a terror-related charge in what he says is a politically motivated effort to silence the band’s support for Palestinians before its appearance at the Glastonbury Festival.
Rapper Mo Chara, whose real name is Liam Og O hAnnaidh, was released on unconditional bail after the hearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court. His next court appearance is scheduled for Aug. 20.
Irish rap group Kneecap band member, Liam O'Hanna, who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, arrives at Westminster Magistrates' Court in London on June 18, 2025. (AFP)
The single charge against Chara stems from a Nov. 21 concert in north London where he waved a Hezbollah flag in a manner that aroused “reasonable suspicion” he supported the Lebanese militant group, which is banned in Britain as a terrorist organization, the Metropolitan Police Service said in a statement last month.
Prosecutor Michael Bisgrove told the court on Wednesday Chara wasn’t being prosecuted because of his support for the Palestinians or criticism of Israel.
“He’s well within his rights to voice his opinions and solidarity, as is anybody else,’’ Bisgrove said. “The allegation in this case is a wholly different thing and deals with a video recording showing that, in November of last year, Mr. O hAnnaidh wore and displayed the flag of Hezbollah, a proscribed terrorist organization, while saying ‘up Hamas, up Hezbollah.’’’
Kneecap has supported the Palestinian cause throughout the war in Gaza. The band has been the center of controversy in Britain since last year, when the previous government sought to block an arts grant for the band, citing its anti-British politics. That decision was overturned after the Labour Party won last year’s parliamentary election and Prime Minister Keir Starmer took office.
The trio is scheduled to perform at Glastonbury on Saturday, alongside performers including Neil Young and Olivia Rodrigo. The internationally watched music festival is a five-day event that attracts about 200,000 people to a farm outside the small town in western England every summer.
As they entered the courthouse, the three Kneecap members, who hail from Northern Ireland, gave the thumbs up sign to hundreds of supporters who had gathered outside, waving signs reading: “Free Mo Chara” and “Defend Kneecap.”
The group has repeatedly said it doesn’t support Hezbollah or Hamas, nor condone violence.
Before the hearing, the band posted billboards around London bearing the slogan “More Blacks, More Dogs, More Irish, Mo Chara.” The message echoes the signs landlords placed in the windows of some London boarding houses in the 1950s, stating “No Blacks, No Dogs, No Irish.”
“British courts have long charged people from the North of Ireland with ‘terrorism’ for crimes never committed,” Kneecap said in a statement posted on social media. “We will fight them. We will win.”
