![\"Kneecap,](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/48c3791f-d37e-4884-9846-d4b5ad6af70d.jpg\")
<\/p>\nLiam \u00d3g \u00d3 hAnnaidh performs with the controversial Irish language group under the stage name Mo Chara.<\/p>\n
In a statement, the Met said: \u201cA man has been charged with a terrorism offence following an investigation by the Met\u2019s Counter Terrorism Command.<\/p>\n
\u201cLiam O’Hanna, 27, (16.10.97) of Belfast has been charged, via postal requisition, with displaying a flag in support of Hezbollah, a proscribed organisation, namely:<\/p>\n
\u201cOn 21 November 2024, in a public place, namely the O2 Forum, Kentish Town, London, displayed an article, namely a flag, in such a way or in such circumstances as to arouse reasonable suspicion that he is a supporter of a proscribed organisation, namely Hezbollah, contrary to section 13(1)(b) and (3) of the Terrorism Act 2000.<\/p>\n
\u201cOfficers from the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command were made aware on Tuesday, 22 April of an online video from the event. An investigation was carried out, which led to the Crown Prosecution Service authorising the above charge.<\/p>\n
\u201cO’Hanna is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, 18 June.\u201d <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Kneecap, with Liam \u00d3g \u00d3 Hannaidh\/Liam O’Hannah, left<\/p>\n
Kneecap investigated by counter-terrorism officers over \u2018kill your MP\u2019 video <\/p>\n
Last month, the Metropolitan Police\u2019s anti-terror unit in London confirmed that there are \u201cgrounds for further investigation\u201d over videos in which a band member from the group appeared to shout, \u201cKill your MP\u201d from the stage and, in a separate incident, \u201cUp Hamas, up Hezbollah\u201d.<\/p>\n
Both groups have been declared terrorist organisations in the UK, meaning it is illegal to voice support for them.<\/p>\n
The band released a statement, in which they denied support for the groups, writing on social media: \u201cThey want you to believe words are more harmful than genocide.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet 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\u2019s history.\u201d<\/p>\n
The group also said that the footage of them was \u201cdeliberately taken out of context\u201d with the express purpose of silencing them.<\/p>\n
In their statement, they added that unnamed \u201cestablishment figures\u201d had \u201ccombed through hundreds of hours of footage and interviews\u201d with the goal of \u201cmanufactur[ing] moral hysteria\u201d.<\/p>\n
They also apologised to the families of Jo Cox and David Amess, two MPs who were killed.<\/p>\n
In their statement, Kneecap said: \u201cTo the Amess and Cox families, we send our heartfelt apologies. We never intended to cause you hurt.<\/p>\n
\u201cKneecap\u2019s message has always been \u2014 and remains \u2014 one of love, inclusion, and hope. This is why our music resonates across generations, countries, classes and cultures and has brought hundreds of thousands of people to our gigs. No smear campaign will change that.\u201d<\/p>\n
On Monday, the group teased a new song, titled \u2018The Recap\u2019, set to be released later this week.<\/p>\n
They also appeared on RT\u00c9\u2019s Uncharted with Ray Goggins this evening. Shortly after the programme aired, the group released a small statement on social media following the charges, in which they quoted \u00d3 hAnnaidh\u2019s comments on the broadcast. <\/p>\n
“I don’t want to be 80, 90 years of age and my grandkids asking me about the Palestinian genocide? Me sitting there being like f**k, I didn’t do enough. I don’t wanna be on that side of history,\u201d the group wrote on their social media accounts. <\/p>\n
“If it comes down to awards or breaking America by sacrifice what you believe in, then America can go f**k itself.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are clearer than ever on who we are and what we stand for.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will have a short statement soon. Free Palestine.\u201d <\/p>\n
Reacting to the Met Police\u2019s statement, People Before Profit MP Gerry Carroll called for the charges against \u00d3 hAnnaidh to be dropped.<\/p>\n
“The charges on Kneecap’s Mo Chara should be dropped immediately,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cThis is the British Government deliberately + unashamedly trying to make an example of Kneecap for shining a light on the West’s complicity in genocide.<\/p>\n
\u201cLock up Keir Starmer for arming genocide, not Liam \u00d3g.\u201d <\/p>\n
Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch said the Labour Party owed the \u201cpublic an apology\u201d following the charge against one of the group\u2019s members. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I blocked Kneecap from getting taxpayer cash, they sued. Labour refused to fight the case\u2014and handed them \u00a314,250 of your money,\u201d she wrote on X, formerly Twitter. <\/p>\n
\u201cNow one of them\u2019s been charged with terrorism offences. Labour owes the public an apology.\u201d <\/p>\n
While TUV deputy leader Court Councillor Ron McDowell said he welcomed the charges against \u00d3 hAnnaidh and they were \u201coverdue\u201d. <\/p>\n
“I welcome the decision by the Metropolitan Police to charge a member of the rap group Kneecap with displaying a flag in support of Hezbollah, a proscribed terrorist organisation,\u201d he said in a statement. <\/p>\n
“For too long, the powers that be have turned a blind eye to this group\u2019s open glorification of terrorism. This charge is long overdue.\u201d<\/p>\n
The SDLP\u2019s Matthew O\u2019Toole said the charges against the Kneecap member were \u201ctone deaf.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSome of the people cheering this decision in NI are the same people who tell my constituents they have to accept UDA and UVF flags in their street.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don’t need to condone every antic by Kneecap to see this as a deeply tone deaf thing to do while a genocide unfolds.\u201d <\/p>\n
Kneecap\u2019s management has been contacted for comment.<\/p>\n
More to follow. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Liam \u00d3g \u00d3 hAnnaidh performs with the controversial Irish language group under the stage name Mo Chara. In…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":121131,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5011],"tags":[836,28538,1249,1144,16,15,6110],"class_list":{"0":"post-121130","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-northern-ireland","8":"tag-hezbollah","9":"tag-kneecap","10":"tag-kurtis-reid","11":"tag-northern-ireland","12":"tag-uk","13":"tag-united-kingdom","14":"tag-west-belfast-news"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114548590735851045","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121130","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=121130"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121130\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/121131"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=121130"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=121130"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=121130"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}