Kneecap urge fans to attend court as they say 'we're on right side of history'
Irish rap trio Kneecap have put out a message to their fans to join them outside Westminster Magistrates Court next month as bandmember Liam O'Hanna was charged with terror offence
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.
He is set to appear before Westminster Magistrates Court on June 18 after being charged for the alleged display of a flag in support of Hezbollah at a gig at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town, north London last November.
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.
While on stage, Kneecap, comprised of Liam Og O Hannaidh, Naoise O Caireallain and JJ O Dochartaigh, addressed the hearing as they urged fans to gather outside the court.
They said: 'If anybody's about on June 18…we're all going to gather outside the Westminster court to show support.' Addressing the crowd, the Belfast trio added: 'Anybody who's free on June 18, get a big bag of Ket and we'll go on the steps of Westminster.'
Liam also directly addressed the charge against him as he said 'they are trying to silence us'. He shared: 'I went for an interview with the counter-terror police and within days they came to a verdict that they were going to charge me, never has it been that quick. And the reason it was that quick was because Glastonbury is just around the corner, they're trying to silence us.'
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 also uncertain on whether their gig tonight would be pulled. As they took to the stage, they said: 'Thank you very much. They tried to stop this gig. Honestly lads you have no idea how close we were to being pulled off this gig.'
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're trying to cancel gigs, they trying to cancel my freedom of travel. And the fact that I'm speaking to this amount of people, and I assume the majority of you will agree, shows that we're on the right side of 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 deny this 'offence' and will vehemently defend ourselves. This is political policing. This is a carnival of distraction. We are not the story. Genocide is. As they profit from genocide, they use an 'anti-terror law' against us for displaying a flag thrown on stage.
"A charge not serious enough to even warrant their 'crown court', instead a court that doesn't have a jury. What's the objective? To restrict our travel ability. To prevent us speaking to young people across the world. To silence voices of compassion. To prosecute artists who dare to speak out.
"Instead of defending innocent people, or the principles of international law they claim to uphold, the powerful in Britain have abetted slaughter and famine in Gaza, just as they did in Ireland for centuries. Then, like now, they claim justification. The IDF units they arm and fly spy plane missions for are the real terrorists, the whole world can see it.
"We stand proudly with the people. You stand complicit with the war criminals. We are on the right side of history. You are not. We will fight you in court. We will win. Free Palestine."
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