Latest news with #ÓhAnnaidh
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Kneecap pull out of TRNSMT festival over police concerns
Irish rap group Kneecap have pulled out of the TRNSMT music festival in Glasgow over police concerns about safety. Police Scotland said last week that allowing the trio to perform at Glasgow Green on 11 July would require "a significant policing operation". It followed a member of the Irish language group being charged with a terror offence after allegedly displaying a flag in support of proscribed organisation Hezbollah at a London gig. The Belfast trio were also criticised over 2023 gig footage that appeared to show a band member saying: "The only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your local MP." Kneecap at TRNSMT would need 'significant' police operation Kneecap member charged with terror offence The group are still due to perform at the Glastonbury festival, where they are listed on the lineup for Saturday 28 June. Kneecap released a statement saying that, to make up for the TRNSMT cancellation, they would be putting on a new show at Glasgow's O2 Academy on Tuesday 8 July. The band said: "Due to concerns expressed by the police about safety at the event, Kneecap can no longer perform at TRNSMT. "To the thousands of people who bought tickets, flights and hotels to see us play, we are is out of our hands. "Glasgow has always been a huge city for us. We've played there many many times, with no issues - ever. Make of that what you will." TRNSMT promoters DF Concerts said: "Due to concerns expressed by the police about safety at the event, Kneecap will no longer perform at TRNSMT on Friday, 11 July. "We thank fans for their understanding." Kneecap member Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, 27, has been charged by the Metropolitan Police 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. Officers from the Met's counter terrorism command were made aware on 22 April of an online video from the event. Belfast man Mr Ó hAnnaidh has been charged under the name Liam O'Hanna. Scotland's First Minister John Swinney had backed calls for Kneecap to be axed from the TRNSMT lineup over their "kill your local Tory" comment. The have have since apologised to the families of murdered MPs Sir David Amess and Jo Cox. A Police Scotland spokesperson previously said any decision on who performs at TRNSMT was for the organisers to make. Swinney calls for Kneecap to be axed from TRNSMT festival Kneecap 'kill MP' footage being assessed by police
Sunday World
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Sunday World
Michelle O'Neill voices support for Kneecap star after terror charge
'I think that highlighting genocide, highlighting the inhumane slaughter of defenceless citizens, is not a crime.' First Minister Michelle O'Neill has expressed 'solidarity' with Kneecap's Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh as well as two people arrested in Belfast over the weekend at a pro-Palestine protest. The vice president of Sinn Fein said that 'highlighting genocide' should never be considered a crime. Mr Ó hAnnaidh (27), who performs as Mo Chara, was charged with a terror offence last week after he allegedly displayed a flag in support of the proscribed organisation Hezbollah during a gig in London last year. In a separate incident at the weekend, campaigners Sue Pentel (72) and Martine McCullough, aged in her 50s, were arrested on suspicion of criminal damage after protesting outside a Barclays bank branch in Castle Place, Belfast. Kneecap's Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh. Photo: PA News in 90 Seconds - May 27th Since the latest conflict in the Middle East escalated in October 2023 following Hamas' deadly attack in Israel there has been criticism of Barclays' financial ties with arms companies that sell weapons to the country. Speaking in the Assembly, Ms O'Neill was asked by People Before Profit MLA Gerry Carroll whether she supported Mr Ó hAnnaidh, and Ms Pentel and Ms McCullough. 'I think that highlighting genocide, highlighting the inhumane slaughter of defenceless citizens, is not a crime," she replied. 'That's certainly my view, and I send solidarity to all those protesting and calling for an end to the genocide in Palestine.' Mr Carroll pressed the First Minister as to whether she specifically raised the case of Mr Ó hAnnaidh with Prime Minister Keir Starmer when the pair met last week. Sinn Féin First Minister Michelle O'Neill 'I made my point in terms of solidarity to these individuals, to Liam Óg and to Sue and Martine,' she said 'Because I think that anybody who goes out to raise their voice, rightly so, in my opinion, in terms of calling for an end to the genocide in Palestine, is doing a good thing. 'The international community is far too silent. The international community has failed to act and the international community has failed to end the genocide in Palestine. 'I can tell you that I did raise that issue with Keir Starmer on Friday. I made it very clear that they needed to end their arms sales to Israel. 'And I made it very clear that they need to step up in a real, detailed way with sanctions against Israel, because to not do so is to be complicit in what they're doing.' Following Mr Ó hAnnaidh's being charged last week, Kneecap released a statement denouncing the decision. 'We deny this 'offence' and will vehemently defend ourselves, this is political policing, this is a carnival of distraction,' the group said. '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. 'The IDF units they arm and fly spy plane missions for are the real terrorists, the whole world can see it.' Belfast rappers Kneecap The Met Police's anti-terrorism unit began investigating the band after footage surfaced of a member appearing to shout 'The only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your local MP'. A second video also emerged showing a member allegedly chanting 'Up Hamas' and 'Up Hezbollah' from a stage. Mr Ó hAnnaidh is due to appear before Westminster Magistrates' Court on Wednesday, June 18 accused of displaying a flag in support of Hezbollah which is a proscribed terror organisation. 'On 21 November 2024, in a public place, namely the O2 Forum, Kentish Town, London, displayed an article, namely a flag, in such a way or in such circumstances as to arouse reasonable suspicion that he is a supporter of a proscribed organisation, namely Hezbollah, contrary to section 13(1)(b) and (3) of the Terrorism Act 2000,' the Met Police previously said. 'Officers from the Met's Counter Terrorism Command were made aware on Tuesday, 22 April of an online video from the event. An investigation was carried out, which led to the Crown Prosecution Service authorising the above charge.' Following the arrest of two campaigners in Belfast at the weekend, Ms Pentel – a Jewish grandmother and high profile campaigner against the war in Gaza – said it was 'ridiculous' that they faced being charged with a criminal offence.
Extra.ie
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Extra.ie
Kneecap donate Wide Awake earnings to Médecins Sans Frontières
The charity organisation has provided humanitarian assistance to Gaza for more than 20 years. Kneecap has donated earnings from their Wide Awake Festival headline show to Médecins Sans Frontières. The Irish group played at the London festival in Brockwell Park last Friday, May 23, to a sold-out crowd. The lineup also included Irish acts CMAT and Curtisy. Today's top videos STORY CONTINUES BELOW Alternative rock band English Teacher also played at the festival and stated during their performance that they 'were proud to share the stage with people who stand up against oppression'. Kneecap's pledge to donate their headline fee to the charity, also known as Doctors Without Borders, came just days after one of its members, Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, was charged with a terrorism offence for allegedly displaying a Hezbollah flag at a concert last year. Addressing the charge from the stage on Friday, Ó hAnnaidh said: I went for an interview with counter-terror police and within days, they came to their verdict that they were going to charge me. He also added that 'they tried to stop this gig, honestly, you have no idea how close they came to pulling us.' Kneecap recently released their latest single 'The Recap Ft. Mozey (Bootleg Version)', which takes aim at the UK's Conservative Party Leader Kemi Badenoch.
The Journal
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Journal
'In the belly of the beast': Here's what the British press thought of Kneecap's London gig
'THEY TRIED TO stop this gig,' Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh (aka Mo Chara) proclaimed at the start of Kneecap's festival set in London on Friday night. 'Honestly lads, you've no idea how close we were to being pulled off this gig. Has anybody been watching the news?' You've likely heard the news that the Belfast rapper is referring to – last week, Ó hAnnaidh was formally charged under the UK's Terrorism Act and is scheduled to appear in court on 18 June. Ó hAnnaidh was charged in connection with allegedly displaying a flag supporting Hezbollah during a gig in London last November, according to UK police. The charge follows the circulation of a video of Kneecap's performance at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town, London. The video drew media attention last month and was later reviewed by police, leading to the launch of a formal investigation and a charge against Ó hAnnaidh. Kneecap have explicitly denied ever supporting Hezbollah or Hamas since the concert video resurfaced. Just days after the charge was announced, Kneecap fans turned out in force on Friday to support the Irish-language hip-hop trio at their biggest ever festival headline gig. Kneecap played on the main stage at Wide Awake Festival in Brockwell Park in London, despite calls from several leading UK politicians for the festival to not allow the Belfast trio to take to the stage. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Wide Awake (@wideawakeldn) To their critics (of which Kneecap have many in the UK), they're reckless agitators who have finally crossed the line – during Friday's gig, the band joked about appearing 'in the belly of the beast'. Advertisement Despite the widespread criticism that the trio face in the UK, the gig received rave reviews. 'What a craic' The band received four out of five stars in The Guardian's review of the Wide Awake gig. In the review, Kneecap's activism on Gaza was hailed as 'patently heartfelt rather than posturing radical chic'. Despite missing several fadas in the band members' names and ending the review with the line 'what a craic' (just terrible), the Guardian looked fondly on Northern Irish band's activism – and ketamine references – saying that Kneecap are still performing 'loud and proud'. The Telegraph, who previously described Kneecap as 'the pop provacateurs who went too far' and 'bona fide media folk devils', similarly gave the band four out of five stars in their review of the Friday gig. Their review described how Kneecap 'presided over a 90-minute carnival of mayhem, defiance and controversy' in London, adding that the audience was 'one big party'. 'Who would have thought it? The controversies only seem to have fired up Kneecap's supporters,' The Telegraph's James Hall wrote. View this post on Instagram A post shared by KNEECAP (@kneecap32) He made sure to separate the art from the artist however, adding: 'I can't defend Kneecap. There's reclaiming your culture and there's saying stupid things, and in trying to do the former they've done a lot of the latter.' The London Evening Standard also awarded the gig four stars, hailing the group as 'irreverent, ambitious and irrefutably themselves'. Describing how the band encouraged the crowd to belt out the chorus to Your Sniffer Dogs are Shite, the review claimed: 'that's ballsy, and those weren't even the most eyebrow-raising lyrics'. Kneecap once again earned four stars from The Times, with the paper's chief rock and pop critic Will Hodgkinson stating that the band created an 'historic moment' in front of 20,000 adoring fans on Friday. Highlighting that Kneecap had donated the entirety of their fee from the festival to Médecins Sans Frontières, who have a number of staff aiding people across Gaza, Hodgkinson also described the gig as 'seriously good'. 'Exciting, funny and anarchic, with a rebellious edge that has not been seen in rock or rap for years,' he wrote. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Kneecap Play First Shows Since Terror Charge: ‘They Tried to Stop This Gig'
Kneecap played their first gigs since member Mo Chara was charged with a terror offense in London this week, alleging that authorities tried to cancel the shows. Earlier in the week, Chara – real name Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh – was charged with a terror offense after he allegedly displayed a Hezbollah flag onstage during a show in London late last year. More from Rolling Stone Kneecap Respond to Terror Charge: 'This Is a Carnival of Distraction' Kneecap Member Charged With Terror Offense for Displaying Hezbollah Flag at Concert Sex Pistols' John Lydon Says Kneecap 'Need a Bloody Good Kneecapping' 'We deny this 'offense' and will vehemently defend ourselves,' the band wrote in response, adding: 'This is a carnival of distraction. We are not the story. Genocide is.' In an earlier statement last month, they had said: 'Let us be unequivocal: we do not, and have never, supported Hamas or Hezbollah.' After the charge was made public, the band then played a last-minute gig at the 100 Club in London on Thursday (May 22) before their headline set at the Wide Awake festival in Brockwell Park last night. During the Wide Awake show, Ó hAnnaidh told the crowd: 'They tried to stop this gig. Honestly lads, you've no idea how close we were to being pulled off this gig.' He added: 'Has anybody been watching the news?! It wasn't even me!' Their set began the same as it did at Coachella last month, with messages on the screen reading: 'Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people. It is being enabled by the British government.' The messaging at Coachella drew widespread criticism on social media and television, with the band then coming on stage at Wide Awake to a video compiling all the criticism received from political commentators on both sides of the Atlantic. Kneecap are set to play a high-profile, televised set at Glastonbury next month, with Ó hAnnaidh alleging in a further speech to the crowd that his charge was accelerated in order for that show to be pulled. He said: 'I'd like to take the time to say, bear in mind I went for an interview with the counter-terror police and within days they came to a verdict that they were going to charge me, never has it been that quick. The reason it was that quick is because Glastonbury is just around the corner. They're trying to silence us from speaking on stage at Glastonbury the way we did at Coachella. That's a fact.' His bandmate Moglai Bap then encouraged fans to gather outside Westminster Magistrates' Court on June 18 for Ó hAnnaidh's hearing to show their support. Later during the set, Ó hAnnaidh said: 'Mo Chara, Moglai Bap and DJ Próvai from west Belfast and Derry are not the story. We are being made an example of. The Israeli lobbyists are trying to prove to other artists that if you speak out, we're going to hit you where it hurts most. They're trying to cancel gigs, they're trying to cancel my freedom of travel, and the fact that I'm speaking to this amount of people, and I assume the majority of people agree, shows that we're on the right side of history.' As well as Kneecap's headline performance, Wide Awake as a whole was under significant threat in recent weeks, with a local campaign group winning a legal battle against the festival's organisers, Brockwell Live, with a court ruling that the events didn't have the correct planning permission. Local resident Rebekah Shaman, leader of the Protect Brockwell Park campaign group, claimed that festivals can only use public parks for 28 days per year without gaining additional planning permission, and that the parks would be used for up to 37 days in 2025. The festivals – which also include Field Day, Cross The Tracks, Mighty Hoopla and more – then confirmed they would go ahead as planned despite the ruling. 'We take our stewardship of Brockwell Park seriously,' Brockwell Live said. 'As we prepare to deliver these much-loved, culturally significant events, we remain fully committed to its care, upkeep, and long-term wellbeing.' This article originally appeared on Rolling Stone UK. Best of Rolling Stone The 50 Greatest Eminem Songs All 274 of Taylor Swift's Songs, Ranked The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
