Kneecap: The controversies explained as one of the rappers is charged with terror offence

BreakingNews.ie

21-05-2025

A member of Irish-language rap group Kneecap has been charged with a terror offence in the UK.
Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh (27), whose stage name is Mo Chara, has been charged over the displaying of a flag in support of Hezbollah at a gig at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town, London, on November 21st last year.
Advertisement
The police investigation in England comes after a series of controversies involving the Belfast rappers and is likely to add to their reputation as subversive and provocative performers.
Here we explain the background to the group and the recent events surrounding them.
Who are Kneecap?
Kneecap are a rap trio from west Belfast known for merging Irish and English in their music alongside politically charged and satirical lyrics.
The group is made up of Mo Chara (Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh), Móglaí Bap (Naoise Ó Cairealláin) and DJ Provaí (JJ Ó Dochartaigh).
Advertisement
Kneecap have received critical acclaim for their live performances and have gained high-profile fans, with Elton John speaking of his admiration their 'energy' and 'vitality'.
Kneecap along with director Rich Peppiatt (left) at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York. The Kneecap movie was a global hit.
In 2024, the band released an eponymous debut film starring Oscar-nominated actor Michael Fassbender in a fictionalised retelling of how the band came together.
The film was nominated for six Baftas and took home the award for outstanding debut by a British writer, director or producer.
It was also among the big winners at the Irish Film and Television Academy (Ifta), scooping four awards including best director for Rich Peppiatt.
Advertisement
Kneecap have also received plenty of criticism and censorship over their music. They have been condemned for wearing balaclavas on stage and for commissioning a mural in Belfast of a burning RUC Land Rover, which opponents said glorified terrorism.
A person walks past Kneecap's mural of a burning police Land Rover on Hawthorn Street in Belfast. Photo: PA
They also ended up in dispute with the former Conservative government in Britain over not receiving a grant aimed at supporting UK artists, despite their application being successful.
The group took legal action, claiming the decision was discriminatory and won in November 2024, receiving £14,250 – the total amount of the original grant.
The trio donated the money to two youth organisations in Belfast, splitting it between a nationalist and a unionist area.
Advertisement
The Coachella gigs
Kneecap ended their set at the second weekend of the Coachella music festival in California last month with three messages on a screen that accused Israel of genocide and war crimes against Palestinians.
The messages 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.'
The statements gained a huge response online and made headlines in the United States. Fox News commentators condemned the band and accused it of bringing 'Nazi Germany' sentiments to the US.
DJ Provaí onstage during the Coachella Festival in Indio, California. Photo: AFP via Getty
Former The X Factor judge Sharon Osbourne called for their US work visas to be revoked, and Kneecap's manager Daniel Lambert said the band had received 'severe' death threats.
Advertisement
In an Instagram statement, the band alleged they had 'faced a co-ordinated smear campaign', saying that their shows have previously 'called out' the conflict in Gaza.
'The recent attacks against us, largely emanating from the US, are based on deliberate distortions and falsehoods,' they said. 'We are taking action against several of these malicious efforts.'
Footage from concerts
After the Coachella gig drew global attention to Kneecap's stance on Gaza, videos began to circulate online of other performances involving the rappers.
Clips posted by Danny Morris, from Jewish security charity the Community Security Trust, appeared to show one member of the group shouting 'up Hamas, up Hezbollah' at a performance at the Kentish Town Forum in London, and a Hezbollah flag being displayed.
Both Hamas and Hezbollah are listed as terrorist organisations in the UK and it is a crime to express support for them.
Another clip from a performance in November 2023 appeared to show one person from Kneecap saying: 'The only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your local MP.'
London's Metropolitan Police later confirmed that counter-terrorism officers were investigating the videos.
Apologies and cancelled shows
Controversy surrounding the clips led the political agenda in the UK at the beginning of May, with a spokesperson for British prime minister Keir Starmer among those condemning the band.
Kneecap then issued a statement addressed to the families of murdered British MPs David Amess and Jo Cox, saying they 'never intended to cause you hurt', and that they rejected 'any suggestion that we would seek to incite violence against any MP or individual'.
It added: 'Kneecap's message has always been – and remains – 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.'
Kneecap performing at the SSE Arena in Belfast. Photo: PA
Nonetheless, British Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch called for Kneecap to be banned while other politicians pushed for the group to be removed from the Glastonbury Festival line-up.
The band was dropped from a handful of gigs in England and Germany amid the police investigation.
Other artists defended Kneecap in an open letter, including Pulp, Paul Weller, DJ Annie Mac, Massive Attack and Primal Scream.
Terror offence charge
On May 21st, London's Metropolitan Police confirmed that a member of Kneecap was charged with a terror offence.
Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh (27), of Belfast, was charged by postal requisition and is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court in London on June 18th.
Officers from the Counter Terrorism Command were made aware on April 22nd of an online video from the event, the force said.
An investigation led to the UK's Crown Prosecution Service authorising the charge.