
Footage of Kneecap gig in London being assessed by counter-terrorism police
©Press Association
Footage of Irish rappers Kneecap performing at a London venue in November is being assessed by counter-terrorism police.
Clips posted online by Danny Morris, from Jewish security charity the Community Security Trust, appear to show one member of the group shouting 'up Hamas, up Hezbollah' at a performance at the Kentish Town Forum, and a Hezbollah flag being displayed.
Both Hamas and Hezbollah are banned in the UK and it is a crime to express support for them.
A Met Police spokesperson said: 'We have been made aware of the video and it has been referred to the Counter Terrorism Internet Referral Unit for assessment and to determine whether any further police investigation may be required.'
Kneecap have already come under fire for their performance at Coachella on April 18, with Sharon Osbourne calling for their US work visas to be revoked.
They ended their set at the second weekend of Coachella with three messages on a screen that 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.'
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

The Journal
34 minutes ago
- The Journal
Kneecap recruits prominent Irish lawyers ahead of band member's alleged terror offences trial
RAP GROUP KNEECAP has recruited a team of prominent human rights and criminal defence lawyers ahead of a trial in which one of its members accused of alleged terror offences. Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, has been charged over the alleged display of a flag in support of militant group Hezbollah at a gig at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town, London, in November last year. The 27-year-old Belfast native is to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Monday. Ó hAnnaidh has not spoken individually since the charge was confirmed, but Kneecap as a band has said they will contest the charges. 'We deny this 'offence' and will vehemently defend ourselves,' a statement said last month. 'This is political policing. This is a carnival of distraction.' Posting online today, the band said Ó hAnnaidh will be represented by Darragh Mackin, of Pheonix Law, who represented families of the Stardust fire in a recent inquiry into the event and previously represented the band in a funding dispute case . Advertisement Mackin is also joined by barristers Brenda Campbell, KC, who also represented families in the Stardust inquiry and Blinne Ní Ghrálaigh , KC, an international law expert with a specialism in protest law. Ní Ghrálaigh, a Co Mayo native, appeared before the International Court of Justice last year on behalf of South Africa in its genocide case against Israel. Fellow freedom of speech and human rights barrister Jude Bunting, KC, Just Stop Oil solicitor Rosalind Comyn and criminal defence expert Gareth Peirce, who represented the Birimingham 6 and Guilford 4, also join the defence team. In a post, the band said: 'We will fight you in your court. We will win.' Ó hAnnaidh is accused of committed an offence under the UK's Terrorism Act, Section 13 (1) which says: 'A person in a public place commits an offence if he a) wears an item of clothing or b) wears, carries or displays an article, in such a way or in such circumstances as to arouse reasonable suspicion that he is a member or supporter of a proscribed organisation.' The band have come to international prominence for their outspokenness on Israel's ongoing bombing and siege of Gaza which has killed over 50,000 people and has brought the enclave to the brink of famine . Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal


Irish Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Israel attacks Iran's nuclear sites and kills top military leaders
Israel launched a blistering attack on the heart of Iran's nuclear and military structure on Friday, deploying warplanes and drones smuggled into the country to target key facilities and kill top generals and scientists. It said the barrage was necessary before its adversary got any closer to building an atomic weapon. The operation raised the potential for all-out war between the countries and propelled the region, already on edge, into even greater upheaval. Iran quickly retaliated, sending a swarm of drones at Israel as Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned of 'severe punishment'. Iran had been censured by the UN's atomic watchdog a day earlier for not complying with obligations meant to prevent it from developing a nuclear weapon. Israel had long threatened such a strike, and successive US administrations had sought to prevent it, fearing it would ignite a wider conflict across the Middle East and possibly be ineffective at destroying Iran's dispersed and hardened nuclear programme. But a confluence of developments triggered by Hamas' October 7, 2023, attack and the election in the US of President Donald Trump created the conditions that allowed Israel to finally follow through on its threats. Also on Friday, Israel claimed it had struck an Iranian nuclear site in Isfahan. Iran did not immediately acknowledge the attack. The facility in Isfahan, some 350 kilometres (215 miles) south-east of Tehran, employs thousands of nuclear scientists. It is also home to three Chinese research reactors and laboratories associated with the country's atomic programme. Israel had told the Trump administration that the large-scale attacks were coming, officials in the US and Israel said. On Wednesday the US pulled some American diplomats from Iraq's capital and offered voluntary evacuations for the families of US troops in the wider Middle East. The United States is shifting military resources, including ships, in the Middle East in response to Israel's strikes on Iran and a possible retaliatory attack by Tehran, two US officials said. Countries in the region condemned Israel's attack, while leaders around the globe called for immediate de-escalation from both sides. Iran asked for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council. Israel's military said about 200 aircraft were involved in the initial attack on about 100 targets. Its Mossad spy agency positioned explosive drones and precision weapons inside Iran ahead of time, and used them to target Iranian air defences and missile launchers near Tehran, according to two security officials. Among the key sites Israel attacked was Iran's main nuclear enrichment facility at Natanz, where black smoke could be seen rising into the air. It also appeared to strike a second, smaller nuclear enrichment facility in Fordo, about 60 miles from Tehran, according to an Iranian news outlet close to the government that reported hearing explosions nearby. Israel also said it destroyed dozens of radar installations and surface-to-air missile launchers in western Iran. Israel military spokesman Effie Defrin said the Natanz facility was 'significantly damaged' and that the operation was 'still in the beginning'. Among those killed were three of Iran's top military leaders: one who oversaw the entire armed forces, General Mohammad Bagheri; one who led the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, General Hossein Salami; and the head of the Guard's ballistic missile programme, General Amir Ali Hajizadeh. Iran confirmed all three deaths, significant blows to its governing theocracy that will complicate efforts to retaliate. Khamenei said other top military officials and scientists were also killed. In its first response, Iran fired more than 100 drones at Israel. Israel said the drones were being intercepted outside its airspace, and it was not immediately clear whether any got through. Mr Trump urged Iran to reach a deal with Washington on its nuclear programme, warning on his Truth Social platform that Israel's attacks 'will only get worse'. 'Iran must make a deal, before there is nothing left, and save what was once known as the Iranian Empire,' he wrote. 'No more death, no more destruction, JUST DO IT, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE.' Israeli leaders cast the attack as necessary to head off an imminent threat that Iran would build nuclear bombs, though it remains unclear how close the country is to achieving that or whether Iran had actually been planning a strike. Iran maintains its nuclear programme is for civilian purposes only. 'This is a clear and present danger to Israel's very survival,' Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed as he vowed to pursue the attack for as long as necessary to 'remove this threat'. Israel is widely believed to be the only nuclear-armed state in the Middle East but has never acknowledged having such weapons. On Friday, Israelis rushed to supermarkets in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and elsewhere to buy bottled water and other supplies. But, otherwise, streets and parks were mostly deserted. For Mr Netanyahu, the operation distracts attention from Israel's ongoing and increasingly devastating war in Gaza, which is now more than 20 months old. Khamenei said in a statement that Israel 'opened its wicked and blood-stained hand to a crime in our beloved country, revealing its malicious nature more than ever by striking residential centres'. Mr Netanyahu expressed hope the attacks would trigger the downfall of Iran's theocracy, saying his message to the Iranian people was that the fight was not with them, but with the 'brutal dictatorship that has oppressed you for 46 years'. 'I believe that the day of your liberation is near,' he said. US secretary of state Marco Rubio said Israel took 'unilateral action against Iran' and that it believed the strikes were necessary for its self-defence.


Irish Examiner
2 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Kneecap's legal team for court battle to include Julian Assange lawyer
Irish rap trio Kneecap have named the legal team which will defend band member Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh against a terror charge. Rapper O hAnnaidh, who performs under the name Mo Chara, will be represented by a team that includes Gareth Peirce, solicitor for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange during his fight against US extradition, and Rosalind Comyn, who has represented Extinction Rebellion protesters in court. The 27-year-old was charged by postal requisition over the alleged display of a Hezbollah flag at a gig at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town, north London, in November last year. His legal team also includes Darragh Mackin from Phoenix Law, Brenda Campbell KC, Jude Bunting KC and Blinne Ní Ghrálaigh KC. Mr Mackin was the solicitor for Sarah Ewart, whose successful legal challenge helped to usher in the decriminalisation of abortion in Northern Ireland, while Ms Campbell was the defence barrister in the collapsed case against Seamus Daly, who was accused of murdering people in the IRA bomb attack in Omagh in 1998. Mr Bunting acted for non-profit company Liberty in the Stansted 15's successful conviction appeal after they broke into Stansted Airport to stop a plane deporting people to Africa, which was a case Ms Ní Ghrálaigh also worked on. In an Instagram post the group said: 'The British establishment is conducting a campaign against Kneecap which is to be fought in Westminster Magistrates Court… We are ready for this fight. We are proud to have such a strong legal team with us.' In May, the Metropolitan Police said Kneecap were being investigated by counter-terrorism police after videos emerged allegedly showing the band calling for the deaths of MPs and shouting 'up Hamas, up Hezbollah'. They apologised to the families of murdered MPs but said footage of the incident had been 'exploited and weaponised'. They also said they have 'never supported' Hamas or Hezbollah, which are banned in the UK. In 2024, the band released an eponymous film starring Oscar-nominated actor Michael Fassbender which is a fictionalised retelling of how the band came together and follows the Belfast group on their mission to save their mother tongue through music. Formed in 2017, the group, made up of Ó hAnnaidh, Naoise Ó Caireallain and JJ O Dochartaigh, are known for their provocative lyrics and merchandise as well as their championing of the Irish language. Their best-known tracks include Get Your Brits Out, Better Way To Live, featuring Grian Chatten from Fontaines DC, and 3Cag. Ó hAnnaidh is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on June 18. His lawyers have been approached for comment.