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Sunday World
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Sunday World
Kneecap facing US travel ban if Mo Chara is convicted of terror charge
Kneecap member Mo Chara is due at Westminster Magistrates Court on June 18. If convicted, he will automatically be barred from entering the States BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - JUNE 2: (L-R) Mo Chara, DJ Próvaí and Móglaí Bap of, Irish rap group, Kneecap pose for a portrait shoot outside the Hawthorn Pub in West Belfast on June 2, 2024 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. (Photo by) BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - MAY 23: A message supporting Kneecap can be seen on Belfast's Black Mountain showing the words 'Kneecap Abu' which translates to "Up Kneecap" or "Kneecap Forever" in white lettering on May 23, 2025 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The signage comes after a member of the Irish language hip-hop group Kneecap, Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh was charged with a terror offence after allegedly displaying a flag in support of proscribed organisation Hezbollah after an incident on 21 November 2024 at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town, London. Mr Ó hAnnaidh, who performs under the name Mo Chara, is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Wednesday 18 June.. (Photo by) NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 09: (L-R) Director Rich Peppiatt, and Móglaí Bap, Dj Provaí, Mo Chara of Kneecap and Producer Trevor Birney attend the "Kneecap" Premiere during the 2024 Tribeca Festival at Village East Cinema on June 09, 2024 in New York City. (Photo byfor Tribeca Festival) Kneecap are facing a travel ban in the US if Mo Chara is convicted under anti-terrorism legislation, the Sunday World has learned. The band is still scheduled to play a series of gigs across North America in October, with a number of them already sold out. The trio are due to play New York, Boston, Minneapolis Philadelphia, Nashville and Washington with other gigs scheduled for Kentucky, Seattle and San Francisco. They are also due at a number of sell-out gigs in Canada – all of which are still being advertised despite controversy surrounding the London Met's charging of Ó hAnnaidh for allegedly displaying a flag in support of proscribed Lebanese organisation Hezbollah at a concert in London last November. He is due at Westminster Magistrates Court on June 18. If convicted, he will automatically be barred from entering the States. Industry sources say they are 'facing an onslaught'' from political leaders and from 'powerful elements' within the music industry determined to silence them. Graffitti in support of Kneecap appeared on walls in West Belfast. 'The boys will not stay quiet, they are not going away,' said our source, 'in many ways they have become a cypher for something much bigger than them, they are on the right side of history.' The Sunday World understands the band's appearance at Glastonbury at the end of June is not currently under threat despite political pressure on the organisers. And they have a whole summer planned of festival appearances across Europe, the first of which was the Wide Awake Festival in south London on Friday where 20,000 fans filled Brockwell Park in Brixton. The Sunday World understands representatives from Glastonbury and other summer festivals were at Friday's show. The band has the backing of many musicians – Paul Weller and Noel Gallagher among them, while Sir Elton John has lauded them and on Friday, Sir Rod Stewart was seen in the wings watching the Kneecap set. Last night award-winning film-maker Trevor Birney, who made a Bafta-winning biopic of the band, said the group was now at the forefront of a global awakening to what's happening in Gaza. 'Kneecap are now cast in that global story. It's not where they wanted or intended to be, but they are shining a light on what is happening in Gaza at a time when political leaders around the world don't want to talk about it,' he said. 'They are speaking for young people around the world, telling them this is genocide. They have transcended the established political order.' He said their message came at a time when Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg were shutting down free speech on social media, and mainstream media was increasingly restricted. 'Public spaces for people to be informed are getting smaller,' he said. 'Soon the only place to get the truth across is from the stage.' He said there was more than enough material for a second Kneecap movie, but that is some way off. It is understood the band no longer hold valid visas following their controversial appearance at the Coachella festival in California in April. They used their gig in the Californian desert to highlight the genocide in Palestine. With neon signs proclaiming 'f**k Israel'' thousands of fans chanted 'Free Free Palestine.' The band has refused to step back from despite attempts to have them cancelled. A number of festivals in Europe have been cancelled but they are due to play events in Denmark, Netherlands and the Czech Republic before returning at the of June for a sell-out concert in Dublin. Then comes Glastonbury on June 28. Festival organisers have come under pressure from politicians and ministers to drop the Belfast rappers from the line-up. They are then due to play in front of 40,000 fans at Belfast's Boucher Playing Fields where they will support Dublin's Fontaines DC at the end of August. Móglaí Bap and Mo Chara. Photo: Lorne Thomson/Redferns By then they will have also played in Greece, Scandanavia, Belgium, France and the UK. After a surprise gig at the 100 Club in London on Wednesday following Mo Chara's arrest, they took to the stage on Friday in from of 20,000 fans at the Wide Awake Festival in south London. Mo Chara told the crowd the authorities were 'trying to silence us' before Glastonbury and urged fans not to be 'on the wrong side of history'. 'I know we're out, we're enjoying ourselves and we're trying to listen to some tunes at a festival... believe me lads, I wish I didn't have to do this,' he said. 'Let's remember how lucky we are to be in a field with our friends and not being bombed from the sky,' Mo Chara said. He said the US administration had been embarrassed to see thousands of Americans chanting 'Free Palestine', describing Glastonbury as the UK's Coachella. An estimated 54,000 people including 16,500 children have died in Israel's bombing campaign launched in the wake of Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023 which resulted in 1,200 deaths and 251 people being taken hostage. Organisers of Friday's Brixton event confirmed in a statement earlier this month that the gig would go ahead after they had held 'positive discussions with key stakeholders'. 'Wide Awake Festival has a proud history of supporting the alternative music scene and we look forward to staging another unforgettable event showcasing the very best emerging and established talent,' they said. But other Kneecap gigs have been cancelled including at the Eden Project in Cornwall and Plymouth Pavilions.
The Sun
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Hip-hop trio Kneecap say cops ‘trying to silence them' at first major gig since Liam O'Hanna charged with terror offence
KNEECAP claimed cops are "trying to silence them" at their first major gig since a band member was charged with a terror offence. The Irish-language hip-hop trio slammed the charge as "political policing". 5 5 Liam O'Hanna, 27, was charged with a terror offence for allegedly displaying a Hezbollah flag. The rapper is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on June 18. Appearing onstage at the Wide Awake festival last night, he declared to fans that police are "trying to silence us before Glastonbury" and urged them to be "on the right side of history." Mo Chara (O'Hanna), Móglaí Bap (Naoise Ó Cairealláin) and balaclava-wearing DJ Próvaí (JJ Ó Dochartaigh) played songs from their album Fine Art. It has seen a surge in streaming since the controversy began. The album includes a song called The Recap which was released only hours earlier. It begins with a clip of a news report about the counter-terrorism investigation. O'Hanna joked with fans that they would have to write to him in jail, the BBC reported. Some Kneecap gigs have been cancelled in the wake of the controversy. These include sets at the Eden Project in Cornwall and Plymouth Pavilions. They are listed to perform on the Saturday at Glastonbury, but some politicians have called for the trio to be barred. The rapper is due in court the week before the festival starts. O'Hanna was charged after allegedly displaying the banner in support of the Iranian proxy militants in Lebanon. The incident unfolded on November 21 last year at the O2 Forum, in Kentish Town, London. Officers from the Met's Counter Terrorism Command launched an urgent probe after being made aware on April 22. An investigation was carried out after reviewing video footage from the event. O'Hanna, who performs under the name Mo Chara, was later charged under the Terrorism Act 2000. Friday's gig follows a smaller "secret" band at London's 100 club the night before. At least three cops were seen walking into the venue at around 7.35pm. The rapper could be seen in videos on social media arriving on stage with tape covering his mouth. He then joked about being careful about what he said, adding that he wanted to thank his lawyer. Formed in 2017, the group are known for their provocative lyrics in both Irish and English, and their merchandise. Their best-known tracks include Get Your Brits Out, Better Way To Live, featuring Grian Chatten from Fontaines DC, and 3Cag. 5
Irish Times
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Irish Times
Kneecap surprise London gig: ‘They're trying to stop me speaking at Glastonbury'
Belfast rap trio Kneecap have claimed a campaign is being mounted to prevent their performance at Glastonbury this summer, at a surprise gig staged a day after one of the band's members was charged with a terror offence. The group told the crowd at the 100 Club in central London on Thursday night that they were being used as a 'scapegoat' because they 'spoke about the genocide [in Gaza]' at the Coachella music festival in the US last month. On Wednesday Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh (27), who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, was charged by UK police with a terrorism offence for allegedly displaying a flag in support of Hizbullah at a gig in London last November. The rap trio called the charge 'political policing' which it said was intended to stifle criticism of Israel's actions in Gaza. READ MORE Hours after the charge, they announced an impromptu gig. They said the event sold out in 90 seconds, with 2,000 people on the waiting list. Ó hAnnaidh arrived on stage at 9pm with tape over his mouth. 'There's a reason where what's happened to me, happened before Glastonbury,' he said. 'There's a reason they're trying to f**king stop me speaking at Glastonbury in front of the UK.' Naoise Ó Cairealláin (30), who performs under the name Móglaí Bap, said: 'This is our first gig back after [Coachella]. They want to stop what we're doing, because they want us to stop protesting. 'There's 60,000 plus dead in Gaza right now. That's the real story, it's not about us,' he added. Police officers outside the 100 Club in Oxford Street, central London, where Kneecap played a surprise gig on Thursday evening. Photograph: PA /PA Wire During their Coachella set on April 18th, the band led the crowd in chants of 'free, free Palestine' and displayed various messages on the stage's screens including: 'Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people.' Ó hAnnaidh said on Thursday: 'The reason that we are being witch-hunted here is because we at Coachella spoke about this about the genocide. 'We're not the f**king story here, they're using us as a scapegoat not to talk about the real f**king issue.' The poster for Thursday's surprise concert featured a recent quote from the former Sex Pistols frontman John Lydon, who said the trio 'need a bloody good kneecapping' in response to the controversy around them. Last month, UK counter-terrorism police assessed footage of the band from November 2023 which appeared to show one person of them saying: 'The only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your local MP.' [ Alleged display of Hizbullah flag at Kneecap gig may prove costly for rapper Opens in new window ] Brendan Cox, the husband of MP Jo Cox, and Katie Amess, the daughter of MP David Amess, who were both murdered, criticised the trio's comments. In a statement, the band said: 'To the Amess and Cox families, we send our heartfelt apologies, we never intended to cause you hurt,' adding that the clip had been taking out of context. The band has been removed from several festival line-ups, including scheduled German appearances at Hurricane festival and Southside festival. They were also axed from the Eden Project in Cornwall and Plymouth Pavilions. MPs have continued to call for them to be removed from the line-ups of TRNSMT, Glastonbury and other upcoming events. However, there were no announcements of further cancellations after the news of Ó hAnnaidh being charged. The group have a headline slot at Wide Awake Festival in Brockwell Park, south London, on Friday night. The band said they would vehemently contest what they called a politically motivated charge in a statement before the concert. '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.' – PA
The Guardian
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Kneecap say terror charge is part of ‘witch-hunt' to prevent Glastonbury gig
The Northern Irish rap trio Kneecap have claimed a campaign is being mounted to prevent their performance at Glastonbury this summer, at a surprise gig staged a day after one of its members was charged with a terror offence. The group told the crowd at the 100 Club in central London on Thursday night that they were being used as a 'scapegoat' because they 'spoke about the genocide [in Gaza]' at Coachella in April. On Wednesday Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, 27, who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, was charged with a terrorism offence for allegedly displaying a flag in support of Hezbollah at a gig in London last November. The rap trio called the charge 'political policing' which it said was intended to stifle criticism of Israel's actions in Gaza. Hours after the charge was announced, they announced an impromptu gig. They said the event sold out in 90 seconds, with 2,000 people on the waiting list. Ó hAnnaidh arrived on stage at 9pm with tape over his mouth. He said: 'There's a reason where what's happened to me, happened before Glastonbury. There's a reason they're trying to fucking stop me speaking at Glastonbury in front of the UK.' Naoise Ó Cairealláin, 30, who performs under the name Móglaí Bap, said: 'This is our first gig back after [Coachella]. They want to stop what we're doing, because they want us to stop protesting,.' 'There's 60,000 plus dead in Gaza right now. That's the real story, it's not about us,' he added. During their Coachella set on 18 April, the band led the crowd in chants of 'free, free Palestine' and displayed various messages on the stage's screens including: 'Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people.' Ó hAnnaidh said on Thursday: 'The reason that we are being witch-hunted here is because we at Coachella spoke about this about the genocide. 'We're not the fucking story here, they're using us as a scapegoat not to talk about the real fucking issue.' The poster for Thursday's surprise concert featured a recent quote from the former Sex Pistols frontman John Lydon, who said the trio 'need a bloody good knecapping' in response to the controversy around them. Last month, counter-terrorism police assessed footage of the band from November 2023 which appeared to show one person of them saying: 'The only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your local MP.'. Brendan Cox, the husband of MP Jo Cox, and Katie Amess, the daughter of MP David Amess, who were both murdered, criticised the trio's comments. In a statement, the band said: 'To the Amess and Cox families, we send our heartfelt apologies, we never intended to cause you hurt.' The band has been removed from several festival lineups, including scheduled German appearances at Hurricane festival and Southside festival. They were also axed from the Eden Project in Cornwall and Plymouth Pavilions. MPs have continued to call for them to be removed from the line-ups of TRNSMT, Glastonbury and other upcoming events. However, there were no announcements of further cancellations after the news of Ó hAnnaidh being charged. The group from Belfast, who rap in the Irish language, have a headline slot at Wide Awake Festival in Brockwell Park, south London, on Friday night.' The band said they would vehemently contest what they called a politically motivated charge in a statement before the concert. '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.'
BreakingNews.ie
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BreakingNews.ie
Kneecap: The controversies explained as one of the rappers is charged with terror offence
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.
