Kneecap Unveil Billboards In Support Of Band Member Ahead Of Terror Charge Court Appearance

Yahoo

4 hours ago

Kneecap have shared a defiant message ahead of band member Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh's first appearance in court on a terror charge.
The three-piece first found themselves at the centre of international scrutiny back in April, due to impassioned comments they made in support of Palestine during their set at Coachella.
During their set, the band projected messages like 'fuck Israel, free Palestine' onto the screens behind them, and led fans in a chant of 'free Palestine'.
In the days that followed, it was first reported that counter-terrorism police officers were assessing a video in which the group reportedly declared 'up Hamas, up Hezbollah' during a gig in London in November 2024.
It was later confirmed that Ó hAnnaidh – better known to fans as Mo Chara – had been charged with a terror offence, for which he is due to appear in court on Wednesday.
Ahead of his first London court appearance, his bandmates put up billboards around the UK capital with the message: 'More Blacks, more dogs, more Irish, Mo Chara.'
This is a parody of the offensive 'no Irish, no Blacks, no dogs' slogan utilised in notices by some boarding houses in the 1950s.
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A post shared by KNEECAP (@kneecap32)
Posting footage of the billboards on Instagram, Kneecap wrote: 'We've plastered London with a few messages ahead of this witch-hunt.
'British courts have long charged people from the North of Ireland with 'terrorism' for crimes never committed. We will fight them. We will win.'
Kneecap previously said: '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 ability to travel. To prevent us speaking to young people across the world. To silence voices of compassion. To prosecute artists who dare 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.'
They concluded: '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 your court. We will win. Free Palestine.'
Kneecap previously claimed that they were the victims of a 'coordinated smear campaign', in light of their performance at Coachella.
'Let us be unequivocal,' they insisted. 'We do not, and have never, supported Hamas or Hezbollah. We condemn all attacks on civilians, always. It is never okay.'
The group is currently gearing up for a performance at Glastonbury next week, where they're due to appear on the West Holts stage on Saturday 28 June.
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