As bandmember Liam O’Hanna is accused of a terror offence, Irish rap trio Kneecap have sent a message to their fans outside Westminster Magistrates Court next month.
At the London festival Kneecap take aim at the police and the British government
Irish rap group Kneecap have defiantly taken to the stage in London where they asked fans to support them outside court next month. It comes after member Liam O’Hanna, who uses the stage name Mo Chara, was charged with a terror offence this week.
After being accused of holding a flag in support of Hezbollah at a concert at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town, north London, in November, he is scheduled to appear before Westminster Magistrates Court on June 18.
The band have strongly denied the charges against O’Hanna and said they will “vehemently defend” themselves against “political policing”. Tonight, the group performed a headline slot at Wide Awake Festival in Brockwell Park, south London.
Liam Og O Hannaidh, Naoise O Caireallain, and JJ O Dochartaigh, the band Kneecap, addressed the hearing while on stage and urged fans to gather outside the court.
They remarked, “We’re all going to gather outside the Westminster court to show our support if anyone is around on June 18.” The Belfast trio addressed the crowd by saying, “Anyone who’s free on June 18 get a big bag of Ket and we’ll go on Westminster’s steps.”
Liam also directly addressed the accusation against him, saying that “they are trying to silence us.” Never has it been that quick, he said, “I went to an interview with the counter-terror police and they came to a verdict that they were going to charge me for.” And because Glastonbury is right around the corner and they’re trying to silence us, the reason it was that quick.
Kneecap are due to perform at Worthy Farm on Saturday 28 June, which has been put in doubt by the charge. They also faced intense backlash following their appearance at Coachella, which is often seen as the US equivalent of Glastonbury.
While on stage, the band displayed messages which read: “ Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people”; “It is being enabled by the US government who arm and fund Israel despite their war crimes”; and “F*** Israel. Free Palestine”.
Kneecap were unsure whether or not to cancel their performance tonight. They thanked them as they entered the stage and thanked them. They attempted to halt this performance. You have no idea how close we were to pulling off this gig, ladies.
Liam told the crowd the band are being “made an example of”. He said: “We are being made an example of, the Israeli lobbyists are trying to prove to other artists ‘that if you speak out, we’re going to hit you where it hurts most’.
They are attempting to revoke my travel freedom, just like they’re trying to do with gigs. And I’m speaking to this many people, as I’m sure most of you will agree, proves that we are on the right track in history.
Just last night, Kneecap held a surprise gig at the 100 Club on Oxford Street, as Liam arrived on stage with tape covering his mouth. He joked: “I need to thank my lawyer, he’s here tonight as well.”
Following the charge, the band issued a powerful statement where they said: “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 vehemently defend ourselves and deny this “offence.” Political policing is involved here. This distracts you from the real world. The story is not ours. Genocide is a. They use an “anti-terror law” against us for displaying a flag on stage because they profit from the genocide.
Instead of a court without a jury, the charge is “not serious enough to warrant their “crown court.” What is the goal? to restrict our ability to travel. to stop talking to young people all over the world. to silence compassionate voices. to pursue artists who dare to speak out.
The powerful in Britain have supported slaughter and famine in Gaza, just as they have done in Ireland for centuries, instead of standing up for innocent people or the international law principles they claim to uphold. Then they assert justification, as they do now. The real terrorists are the IDF units, and everyone can see that when they equip and fly spy plane missions.
We support the people with all our strength. You and the war criminals are at odds with you. On the right side of history, we are. You’re not, though. In court, we’ll fight you. We’ll triumph. Palestine that is free.
READ MORE: ‘Best teeth whitening I’ve tried’ slashed by 40%: ‘I’m nothing short of amazed’
