Music icon supports Kneecap after calls for band to be axed from Glastonbury

Daily Mirror

6 hours ago

Kneecap rapper Liam O hAnnaidh, 27, is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Wednesday amid calls for his band to be removed from the 2025 Glastonbury line-up
Liam O hAnnaidh and his Kneecap bandmates have received support from music legend Johnny Marr amid claims of a private and confidential letter being sent to Glastonbury bosses urging them to remove the Irish rap trio from the 2025 line-up.
Rapper O hAnnaidh, who performs under the name Mo Chara, 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. The 27-year-old is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on June 18.
Over the weekend, Love Music Hate Racism and Toddla T, husband of former Radio 1 DJ Annie Mac, blasted reports of an alleged letter signed by 30-plus "music industry individuals" calling on Glastonbury bosses to ban Kneecap from performing at the Somerset festival later this month.
The Smiths legend Johnny Marr has joined the group's growing list of supporters ahead of O hAnnaidh's court date on Wednesday. In a statement shared on social media, the iconic guitarist said he respects artists "who use their platform to speak out against injustice" and called for an "end to the atrocities and a free Palestine."
His statement in full reads: "After learning that calls have been made for Kneecap to be censored during their Glastonbury set, I think it's important that I make my own position clear.
"I've played Glastonbury many times and the festival has always had a political aspect. It was founded as a place of free expression and political activism and it's a fact that I agreed to play there with The Smiths in 1984 purely because to do so at the time was a political act.
"We are living through very troubling times, but for anyone who's been interested in me or my music over the last 40 years, I feel like my political stance has always been very clear.
"Oppression fears artistic expression. I respect all musicians who use their platform to speak out against injustice, who promote compassion and equality and give voice to the voiceless. I stand with my audience and fellow musicians who call for an immediate end to the atrocities and a free Palestine. Johnny Marr."
On Friday, Kneecap named the legal team which will defend band member O hAnnaidh against the terror charge. He 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.
His legal team also includes Darragh Mackin from Phoenix Law, Brenda Campbell KC, Jude Bunting KC and Blinne Ni Ghralaigh 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 of 1998 in Omagh.
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 Ni Ghralaigh 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."
Mr Mackin told the PA news agency: "It is difficult to comprehend a case of greater international importance in recent years. Kneecap has played an unrivalled role in standing up for those without a voice in Gaza. They speak truth to power when others shy away.
"It is a great privilege to be instructed alongside my colleagues to defend the important principle of freedom of expression, in the pending battle before the London Court."
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 O hAnnaidh, Naoise O 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.