A member of the Irish hip-hop trio Kneecap has been slapped with a terrorism charge following an in-depth probe conducted by London's Metropolitan Police. Liam O'Hanna, a 27-year-old hailing from Belfast and professionally known as Mo Chara, stands accused of flaunting a banner "in solidarity with Hezbollah, an outlawed organization," as announced by the Metropolitan Police on Wednesday.
This charge stems from an incident where O'Hanna allegedly displayed a flag on November 21, 2024, at the O2 Forum Kentish Town, a renowned London music venue. According to police statements, the manner and context in which the flag was displayed "reasonably suggested his affiliation with the prohibited entity, Hezbollah."
On Tuesday, April 22, authorities from the Met's Counter Terrorism Command were alerted to an online video captured during the event. An exhaustive investigation ensued, ultimately leading to the Crown Prosecution Service sanctioning the aforementioned charge.
Furthermore, the police revealed that O'Hanna is scheduled to face the music at Westminster Magistrates' Court on June 18.
Kneecap, who have been outspoken adversaries of Israel's war in Gaza, found themselves under the UK counter-terrorism police's scanner earlier this month. Videos purportedly showing the band advocating the assassination of British politicians and chanting "Hamas up, Hezbollah up" surfaced online.
However, Kneecap has steadfastly denied any endorsement of Hamas or Hezbollah, asserting that the footage, widely disseminated online, was "deliberately misconstrued" as part of a "smear campaign" ignited by their criticism of Israel and the United States regarding the Gaza conflict.
Separately, a video from November 2023 seemed to depict one of the Northern Irish trio's members declaring, "The only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your local MP." Notably, Tory is slang for Conservative, and MP stands for Member of Parliament. In the past decade, two British MPs, Jo Cox and David Amess, have been brutally murdered. Kneecap subsequently apologized to the bereaved families of Cox and Amess.
Both videos have garnered substantial online attention, particularly after Kneecap's performance at Coachella, where they led the audience in chanting "Free Palestine," lambasted Israel's offensive in Gaza, and criticized US support for the conflict.
Recently, Kneecap's manager, Daniel Lambert, spoke to Irish broadcaster RTÉ, emphasizing that the controversy "bears no relation to Kneecap... It's a cautionary tale for the next young band... reminding them that they cannot freely discuss Palestine."
