Latest news with #politicalpolicing
BBC News
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
2000trees: Kneecap to stay as headliners after terror charge
A rock music festival has announced Kneecap will remain as one of its headliners after one of the band's members was charged with a terror offence.2000trees festival, near Cheltenham, has confirmed the Irish language rap group will still perform at the event on Saturday 12 comes after Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, who performs in Kneecap under the name Mo Chara, was charged with a terror offence after allegedly displaying a flag in support of proscribed organisation Hezbollah at a London gig in November a statement, the band denied an offence was committed and called it "political policing" and "a carnival of distraction" away from Gaza. Hezbollah is a Shia Muslim political and military group in Lebanon which has been involved in a series of violent conflicts. It is banned in the UK, and it is a crime to express support for Mr Ó hAnnaidh was charged, the band was removed from the line-up of Glasgow's TRNSMT Festival due to police concerns about Kneecap gigs scheduled this summer - including at the Eden Project in Cornwall and Plymouth Pavilions - were cancelled after footage from a 2023 gig appeared to show a band member saying: "The only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your local MP."The Belfast trio has since apologised to the families of murdered MPs Sir David Amess and Jo 2000trees festival has confirmed it has no plans to remove Kneecap from its line-up. A spokesperson for the festival said: "If their recent shows in London are anything to go by, this promises to be one of the most memorable headline sets we've ever had at 2000trees."You may have even seen Kneecap at 2000trees before, this will be their third visit after all. But headlining the main stage this summer is going to be something else entirely."We will all be there in the pit with you for one of the most exciting, fun and historic sets you'll see this summer." The BBC contacted 2000trees to ask if it has any security concerns in relation to Kneecap's performance, or is putting additional measures in place, and is awaiting a response. Kneecap was formed in 2017 by three friends who go by the stage names of Mo Chara, Móglaí Bap and DJ Próvaí.The trio are still due to perform at Glastonbury Festival, the UK's biggest festival, where they are listed on the line-up for Saturday 28 during a performance at London's Wide Awake festival last week, Mr Ó hAnnaidh - who is due to appear in court next month - claimed the authorities were "trying to silence" the band before BBC has contacted Glastonbury Festival for a comment.
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
The Independent
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Kneecap claims terrorism charge is a ‘witch-hunt' to prevent Glastonbury performance
Irish rap group Kneecap has claimed a terrorism charge against one of their members is part of a campaign to stop them from performing at Glastonbury this summer. Liam Og O hAnnaidh, who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, has been charged over the alleged display of a flag in support of Hezbollah at a gig at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town, north London, in November last year. The trio called the charge 'political policing', which was intended to suppress criticism of Israel 's actions in Gaza. The band put on a surprise London performance on Thursday at the 100 Club on Oxford Street, announcing the impromptu gig just hours after the charge. Kneecap said on X that the event sold out in 90 seconds, with 2,000 people on the waiting list. In videos posted on social media, O hAnnaidh could be seen arriving on stage with tape covering his mouth. He then joked about being careful what he said before saying he wanted to thank his lawyer. 'There's a reason why what's happened to me, happened before Glastonbury,' O hAnnaidh said on stage. 'There's a reason they're trying to f**king stop me speaking at Glastonbury in front of the UK.' Naoise O Caireallain, who performs under the name Moglai Bap, said: 'They want to stop what we're doing, because they want us to stop protesting.' He added: 'There's 60,000-plus dead in Gaza right now. That's the real story, it's not about us.' O hAnnaidh added: '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.' Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Police said they were at the venue to manage visitors to the sold-out event. When announcing the gig on social media, the post contained a quote from former Sex Pistols singer John Lydon, who told ITV's Good Morning Britain, 'Maybe they need a bloody good kneecapping,' in response to a video which appeared to show one of the members saying: 'The only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your local MP.' The group apologised last month to the families of murdered MPs but said footage of the incident had been 'exploited and weaponised'. O hAnnaidh, 27, was charged by postal requisition and is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on 18 June. In response to the charge, the group said in a social media statement: '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 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.' Earlier this month, 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 Hezbollah'. They said they have 'never supported' Hezbollah, which are banned in the UK.
Arab News
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Arab News
Kneecap say Glastonbury slot at risk after terrorism charge
DUBAI: The Irish rap group Kneecap said this week that efforts are ongoing to block their appearance at Glastonbury this summer, following a surprise show held just one day after one of their members was charged with a terrorism-related offence. During their performance at London's 100 Club on Thursday night, the trio said they were being made a 'scapegoat' because they 'spoke about the genocide (in Gaza)' at Coachella in April. Group member Liam Og O Hannaidh was charged on Wednesday with a terrorism offence for allegedly displaying a flag in support of Hezbollah at a gig in London in November 2024. The rapper performs under the stage name Mo Chara and he is scheduled to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court in London on June 18. The police force's counter-terrorism command was made aware on April 22 of an online video from the event and then carried out an investigation. After that, the Crown Prosecution Service authorized the charge. The group posted on social media and said in a statement: 'We deny this 'offence' and will vehemently defend ourselves. This is political policing. This is a carnival of distraction.' They added: '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. 'This is a carnival of distraction. We are not the story, genocide is.' Hours after the charge was filed, Kneecap announced a last-minute gig that reportedly sold out in 90 seconds, with 2,000 people on the waiting list. Chara took to the stage at 9 p.m. with tape over his mouth in a symbolic protest. He suggested the timing of the charge was deliberate, saying it came just ahead of their scheduled Glastonbury appearance. He said: 'There's a reason why what's happened to me happened before Glastonbury. There's a reason they're trying to … stop me speaking at Glastonbury in front of the UK.'
Free Malaysia Today
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Free Malaysia Today
Irish rappers Kneecap deny Hezbollah support after terror charge
Kneecap is known for its confrontational style and Irish nationalist messaging. (Getty Images/AFP pic) BELFAST : Irish rappers Kneecap today denied supporting a proscribed group and vowed to 'vehemently defend ourselves' after a member of the band was charged with a terror offence for allegedly displaying a Hezbollah flag at a London concert. 'We deny this 'offence' and will vehemently defend ourselves. This is political policing. This is a carnival of distraction,' the band said on X. Liam O'Hanna, 27, known by his stage name Mo Chara, was yesterday charged with showing support for a proscribed group during a performance on Nov 21. London's metropolitan police said officers from its counter-terrorism command launched an investigation after a video of the event surfaced online in April. In its statement, Kneecap attacked the 'establishment' for trying to focus attention elsewhere while the population of Gaza suffered, and accused Israel of committing genocide. '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'. The charge follows growing scrutiny of Kneecap's performances after footage circulated online showing provocative political statements made by the band on stage. One video appeared to show a band member shouting: 'Up Hamas, up Hezbollah.' Those groups, in Gaza and in Lebanon, are banned as terror organisations in the UK and it is a crime to express support for them. The band, known for its confrontational style and Irish nationalist messaging, has denied supporting violence or banned groups.
