British police say Mo Chara showed Lebanon’s Hezbollah flag at a concert.
Members of Irish rap band KneeCap were charged in the UK with a “terrorist” crime for waving the flag of the armed Lebanese group Hezbollah at a concert in London in November 2024.
Liam O’Hanna, whose stage name is Mo Chara, is scheduled to appear in London’s Westminster Magistrates Court on June 18th and will be charged under the Terrorist Act, British police said on Wednesday.
Knecap has been speaking out in support of the Palestinian cause since the 2023 led attacks on Hamas and Israel’s devastating war on Gaza, equating the struggle of Irish under British colonial rule with the struggle of the Palestinians living under Israeli occupation and siege.
Pro-Palestinian chants are regular fixtures for gigs. The band says they were targets for a smear campaign to call for the Israeli war of massacre.
knecap statement:
The statement at Coachella has faced a coordinated smear campaign since revealing the ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people.
For over a year, we have used the show to summon the accomplices in war crimes of the British and Irish governments. …pic.twitter.com/mbojb5qbop
– Kneecap (@kneecapceol) April 25, 2025
The Belfast Trio is also famous for its political and satirical lyrics and its use of symbolism related to the Irish Republican movement, which is now trying to unite with the Republic of Ireland, a part of the UK.
Over 3,600 people have been killed during 30 years of violence in Northern Ireland during “troubles” involving the Irish Republican Army (IRA), pro-Loyalist militias and British security forces.
Kneecap takes its name from the brutal punishment that involves being shot with Kneecaps.
The band has been praised for encouraging the Irish cultural scene in Northern Ireland. The status of this language remains a political issue that is still contested between Protestant British unionists and the nationalist Catholic Irish community.
He has also been criticized for his let’s and lyrics that include drug references.
Knecap was subjected to intense scrutiny and criticism last month when he predicted the term “F ***Israel. Free Palestine” during a performance at California’s music festival Coachella. on stage.
“Not long ago, the Irish people were persecuted by the British, but we were never bombed from the air of f****, where we can’t go anywhere! The Palestinians can’t go anywhere. It’s their f****** home. Read the words projected by Mo Chara.
KneeCap received new scrutiny earlier this month when the UK Intelligence Agency said it would look into comments made by rap groups on British and Middle Eastern politics.
They were reported to police in footage from a 2024 concert where members of the band said, “The only good Tory is a dead Tory. I’ll kill your local MP.” Footage from another 2023 concert appears to show the trio members screaming “Hamas, Up Hezbollah.” The UK considers both to be “terrorist” organizations.
In response, Kneecap said he “has never supported Hamas or Hezbollah,” accusing the band of removing the comment from the context of “making moral hysteria” due to the band’s criticism of Israel’s attacks on the Palestinians in Gaza.
Several kneecap gigs have been cancelled as a result of the controversy, and some UK lawmakers have called on organizers of the June Glastonbury Festival to abolish planned performances by the group.
