Fans of Irish band Kneecap surround a London court as a band member faces a terror-related charge
LONDON — Fans of the Irish-language hip-hop group Kneecap mobbed sidewalks outside a London court Wednesday as a member of the trio faced a terror-related charge in what he says is a politically motivated effort to silence the band's support for Palestinians before its appearance at the Glastonbury Festival .
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Yahoo
24 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Kneecap's Mo Chara placed on unconditional bail as hundreds support star at court
Kneecap's Mo Chara has been unconditionally bailed after facing a terror charge. After being greeted by hundreds of supporters outside Westminster Magistrates' Court on Wednesday (18.06.25), the court heard that the issue was with the member of the Irish rap trio - whose real name is Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh - "displaying a flag in support of proscribed organisation Hezbollah" at their O2 Forum Kentish Town gig in London in November 2024, not voicing his opinions on Israel and Palestine, which he's "well within his rights" to do. Prosecutor Michael Bisgrove told the court: 'It's not about Mr Ó hAnnaidh's support for the people of Palestine or his criticism of Israel. 'He's well within his rights to voice his opinions and solidarity, as is anybody else. 'The allegation in this case is a wholly different thing and deals with a video recording showing that, in November of last year, Mr Ó hAnnaidh wore and displayed the flag of Hezbollah, a proscribed terrorist organisation, while saying 'up Hamas, up Hezbollah'. 'Of course, support for the one is not the same as support for the other. 'So the issue in this case, and the reason it has come to court, it centres on the apparent support by Mr O hAnnaidh of a proscribed terrorist organisation.' Ó hAnnaidh was subsequently released on unconditional bail until his next hearing on August 20. Not only was he supported by his bandmates - Naoise Ó Cairealláin and JJ Ó Dochartaigh - at the court, but hundreds of supporters turned up to stand in solidarity with the star, with calls of "Free Palestine" heard as he left the building. In a statement on Instagram regarding the terror charge, Kneecap wrote: "We deny this 'offense' and will vehemently defend ourselves. 'This is political policing. This is a carnival of distraction. "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 are on the right side of history. You are not. We will fight you in court. We will win.' Kneecap had shows cancelled as a result of the backlash but are still set to play Glastonbury's West Holts stage at Worthy Farm on Saturday, June 28 at 4pm - despite calls from MPs for them to be banned.
News24
an hour ago
- News24
UK declines Malema visa application due to his ‘extremism'
The United Kingdom has refused to grant EFF leader Julius Malema a visa due to his support for Hamas and a statement he made about cutting the throat of whiteness. The UK's Home Office says Malema's future applications are unlikely to succeed unless he changes his stance. His presence in the UK is not conducive to the public good, said that country's authorities. The United Kingdom has refused to grant EFF leader Julius Malema a visa due to his 'extremism', which that country said includes his support for Hamas and a call to 'slaughter white people'. The UK Home Office secretary said Malema's presence in the UK was not conducive to the public good. This is Malema's second unsuccessful attempt to visit the UK. The UK's Home Office told the firebrand leader that his application for a visit visa to the United Kingdom had been refused and that future applications were unlikely to succeed. 'Any future UK visa applications you make will be considered on their individual merits, however, you are likely to be refused unless the circumstances of your application change,' said the UK Visas and Immigration Decision Making Centre in a letter dated 17 June 2025 and seen by News24. 'In relation to this decision, there is no right of appeal or right to administrative review.' READ | Malema sees red after UK visa not approved in time to address students at Cambridge University The Home Office secretary said while Malema has previously held visas to travel to the UK, after reviewing his latest visa application, the authorities noticed his support for Hamas – an organisation which is considered a terrorist group and is forbidden in the UK – and his call for the slaughter of whiteness. 'I note that you have made statements in support of Hamas, an organisation who are proscribed in the United Kingdom. In an address outside the Israeli Embassy on the 23rd of October 2023, days after the October 7th attack on Israel, you stated that when your political party took over following the 2024 South African elections that you were 'going to arm Hamas and make sure Hamas got the necessary equipment to fight for their freedom',' reads the letter. 'During this same address, you state that Hamas had no option but to fight for their freedom. Additionally, in October 2023 you posted on the EFF's X site in relation to the events on October the 7th that there 'is nothing wrong Hamas (sic) did'. 'In April 2024, the EFF, the political party which you lead, posted on X that the 'Palestinian people have the fullest right to take up arms against apartheid Israel, and that the EFF supports the armed struggle of Hamas and Hezbollah'.' The Home Office also cited an interview Malema did in October 2024, where he argued that the Hamas attack on Israel was a 'legitimate act of resistance', stating that 'Hamas legitimately resisted Israel's occupation of Palestine on that day. It was not an act of war. It is a battle for the freedom of the Palestinians.' In addition, the Home Office secretary wrote: I note that you have made statements calling for the slaughter of white people or hinted that it could be an acceptable option in the future. 'In 2016, you said that your political party was 'not calling for the slaughter of white people, at least for now'. 'In February 2022 you appeared at the South African Equality Court after previously calling for the slaughter of white people. During this appearance, the presiding judge requested that you never repeat such words in the future. You responded that: 'I cannot guarantee the future. I am not a prophet. I said that if things don't change, there will be a revolution affecting all of us – and that will include me and black people in suburbs. Those rising up from townships will accuse us of abandoning them in squalor and in poverty. We will all be in serious trouble… It may not be me [calling for the slaughter of white people]. But it could be me. What will necessitate such a thing? I can't guarantee I can't or won't call for the slaughter of white people. But why would I make a pledge to say I definitely won't call for that? I won't do it'.' The Home Office said Malema went on to post on the EFF's X site, 'When the time comes and the conditions on the grounds necessitate that arms must be taken, we will do so without hesitation.' 'I consider that the above statements, in particular the fact that you have justified the actions of a proscribed terrorist organisation and stated your intention to support and arm them, mean your presence in the UK is not conducive to the public good. I note that we have not seen any information that indicates that you have spoken out against Hamas or the actions they have undertaken. Malema has previously stated that 'cutting the throat of whiteness' refers to a system of white supremacy and not white people. But the Home Office secretary said: Taking the above into account, your presence in the UK has been assessed as non-conducive to the public good on the grounds of your conduct, character and associations, which makes it undesirable to grant you entry to the UK. 'I consider that the above statements, notably that your political party would arm a proscribed organisation and other statements you made justifying the actions of proscribed terrorist organisations, mean your presence in the UK is not conducive to the public good,' said the letter. The Home Office advised Malema that there is no right of appeal against its decision or right to its administrative review. It said any future UK visa applications would likely be refused unless he provided 'compelling new evidence with your next application'. An application for entry clearance, permission to enter or permission to stay in the UK is refused where the applicant's presence in the UK is not conducive to the public good because of their conduct, character, associations or other reasons, including convictions which do not fall within the criminality grounds. According to the Home Office, a person's presence in the UK may be considered not conducive to the public good if the individual has been involved in unacceptable behaviour, including past or current extremist behaviour. Unacceptable behaviour covers an individual who uses any means or medium to express views which incite, justify or glorify terrorist violence in furtherance of beliefs. The UK government's definition of extremism considers that extremists can incite hatred, erode democratic institutions, social capital and cohesion. It says extremism is the promotion or advance of an ideology based on violence, hatred or intolerance, that is characterised by behaviour against a group, or members of it, that seeks to negate or destroy their rights to live equally under the law and free of fear, threat, violence and discrimination.
Fox News
2 hours ago
- Fox News
UN commission accuses Israel of 'extermination' in controversial report
Israel is accused of committing "the crime against humanity of extermination" and impeding religious freedoms in a recent United Nations report. The U.N. Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem and Israel (COI) issued a scathing 19-page report. In a summary of the report, the COI said it "examines violations of international human rights law, international humanitarian law and possible international crimes relating to attacks against educational facilities and religious and cultural sites." However, the COI appears to be harsher on Israel than Palestinian authorities. In its conclusion, the COI offers 13 recommendations for Israel, two for "the de facto authorities in Gaza," two for "the Government of the State of Palestine," and two for all U.N. member states. The report is already sparking controversy, with the U.S. mission and legal experts expressing concerns over its content. "The latest report from this U.N.'s kangaroo court is a frightening indication of the antisemitism and incitement to violence spread by the United Nations on a global scale," Anne Bayefsky, Director of the Touro Institute on Human Rights and the Holocaust and President of Human Rights Voices told Fox News Digital. Among its many accusations against Israel, some of the most egregious include claims that Israel is restricting religious freedoms, citing its control over holy sites in Jerusalem. The COI stated in its report that Palestinian worshipers were "subjected to increased security checks, checkpoints, harassment and assault, and criteria, linked to age, gender and place of residence, have been applied by Israeli authorities to restrict which Palestinians are allowed to enter" the Temple Mount. The commission also claims that a "religious leader" was arrested shortly after Oct. 7 over a sermon he gave at the mosque without explaining what was said. Furthermore, the commission also complained that "extremist Jews and right-wing politicians" were permitted "on multiple occasions to enter the site with a police escort, pray and cause provocation, despite a long-standing prohibition against Jewish prayer." The COI appeared to take greater issue with Jews praying than with the ban on their ability to do so, despite claiming to admonish restrictions on religious freedoms. "They claim Jews exclude non-Jews from religious sites when the exact opposite is true. Only Israel protects freedom of religion for Christians, Muslims and Jews, while Jews have been banned and Jewish religious sites have been systematically trashed by Palestinian Arabs for a century," Bayefsky told Fox News Digital. In response to a Fox News Digital request for comment, a State Department spokesperson said that the U.S. "firmly" opposes "this COI's open-ended and vaguely defined mandate" and that it does not "support its involvement in investigating the current conflict given our reservations about its structure and approach." "To be clear, Palestinians are going through sheer hell in this conflict and a lot of that is because Hamas has put them in an impossible situation. We've been clear that Israel has a right to take action against Hamas, but we've also been just as clear that Israel must take every precaution possible to protect civilians," the spokesperson added. In another part of the report, the COI notes that the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) documented 42 instances from Oct. 7, 2023, to March 15, 2024, in which "parties to the conflict" interfered with its schools. In response to a Fox News Digital request for comment and clarification on whether Hamas used its schools, UNRWA reiterated its condemnations of "any party to the conflict" using its facilities for "military or fighting purposes." "Since the start of the war, UNRWA has repeatedly condemned the use of UN facilities by any party to the conflict for military or fighting purposes. We have repeatedly called for independent investigation and accountability for the blatant disregard of UN staff lives, premises and operations," a spokesperson for UNRWA told Fox News Digital. "We reiterate our call on all parties to the conflict to respect the sanctity and neutrality of UN installations." While UNRWA did not directly address whether Hamas used its facilities, the commission said that Israeli forces caused "the majority of harm to educational facilities." While the commission mentions Israel's claim that Hamas has operated out of these schools, it also says that the terror organization "contested" the allegation. In its recommendations for Israel, the commission calls on Jerusalem to "cease the use of educational facilities and cultural sites for military purposes." It also recommended that "de facto authorities in Gaza" — Hamas — "cease using civilian objects for military purposes." The commission also calls on Israel to "provide effective, adequate and prompt remedy for victims of human rights violations, including surviving family members," but makes no such demands of those responsible for atrocities committed on Oct. 7.
