News : Kneecap’s Mo Chara charged with terror offence

Kneecap‘s Mo Chara has been charged with a terror offence following an investigation by the Metropolitan Police.

The charge relates to the musician, real name Liam O’Hanna, allegedly displaying a flag in support of Hezbollah, a proscribed organisation. The incident is alleged to have taken place during a show at O2 Forum Kentish Town in London on November 21, 2024.

He will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, June 18.

Following the Irish rap trio’s overtly political statements in support of Palestine at Coachella, which  supposedly “blindsided” festival organisers, counter-terror police began to assess footage from the show which appears to show him shouting “Up Hamas, up Hezbollah.” In the UK, it is a crime to show support for either of these organisations.

In response, Kneecap shared a post on X/Twitter of a graphic which read “18 Months Of Genocide Footage Not Under Investigation By UK Counter-Terror Police”, with the caption “some facts.”

O’Hanna has not yet entered a plea. The band have since denied supporting either Hamas or Hezbollah and have stated they would not incite violence against any individuals. They have also argued that the video footage was taken out of context.

“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,” they said on April 28.

NME has contacted Kneecap’s representatives for comment.

In the wake of the investigation, Kneecap saw scheduled German appearances at both Hurricane Festival and Southside Festival pulled, as well replacement shows in Hamburg, Cologne and Berlin planned for this summer. They were also dropped from the Eden Project line-up in Cornwall and announced a replacement show in Plymouth which was subsequently cancelled as well.

In addition, the controversy provoked calls from MPs to have them removed from the line-ups of TRNSMT, Glastonbury and more.

Another source of controversy from the footage was the band calling on fans to “kill their local MP”. This provoked condemnation from the Jo Cox Foundation – launched in recognition of the Labour MP Jo Cox who was murdered in 2016 – and the daughter of the late Conservative MP David Amess, who was murdered in 2021. They denied promoting violence against MPs and apologised to the families of Cox and Amess.

Kneecap called the controversy “a coordinated smear campaign” against their efforts in “exposing the ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people”.

Many have shared their support for Kneecap and the “freedom of expression” – including Tom Morello, Brian Eno, Pulp, Fontaines D.C. and more, who all signed an open letter to protect freedom of expression. One of the most vocal acts backing the trio is Massive Attack – who themselves have been ardent supporters for Palestine for decades and have boycotted performing in Israel since 1999.