Kneecap vow to 'fight' in court after Mo Chara was charged with terror offence over Hezbollah flag
Kneecap have called band member Mo Chara's terror offence charge a "carnival of distraction" amid the starvation of babies in Gaza.
Kneecap have vowed to "fight" back after Mo Chara was charged with a terror offence for allegedly displaying a Hezbollah flag at their 2024 concert in London.
The 27-year-old Irish rapper - whose real name is Liam Óg Ó Hannaidh - has been accused by London's Metropolitan police of "displaying a flag in support of proscribed organisation Hezbollah" at the O2 Forum Kentish Town in November.
Ó Hannaidh - who has been charged under the name Liam O'Hanna is set to appear in court on June 18.
In a statement on Instagram, Kneecap wrote: "We deny this ‘offense’ and will vehemently defend ourselves.
“This is political policing. This is a carnival of distraction.
"14,000 babies are about to die of starvation in Gaza, with food sent by the world sitting on the other side of a wall, and once again the British establishment is focused on us.
“We are on the right side of history. You are not. We will fight you in court. We will win.”
The Metropolitan Police recently revealed they were assessing footage from the November 2024 gig, when the band allegedly said, "Up Hamas, up Hezbollah."
Following the investigation, the Crown Prosecution Service authorised the charge, with both Hamas and Hezbollah banned in the UK, while it is a crime to express support for either of them.
The group insist they have never supported either organisation.
They also claimed another resurfaced video, in which they said, "Kill your local MP", was taken "out of context".
They said in a previous statement: "Let us be unequivocal: we do not, and have never, supported Hamas or Hezbollah.
"We condemn all attacks on civilians, always. It is never okay. We know this more than anyone, given our nation’s history.
“We also reject any suggestion that we would seek to incite violence against any MP or individual. Ever.
"An extract of footage, deliberately taken out of all context, is now being exploited and weaponised, as if it were a call to action.
The backlash has seen Kneecap dropped from concerts. However, several huge names have supported the trio, including IDLES, Paul Weller, Primal Scream, Enter Shikari, English Teacher, The Pogues, Lankum, Toddla T, Sleaford Mods, and Fontaines D.C..
