Kneecap Slam 'Witchhunt' After Band Member Is Charged With Terror Offence

Kneecap at the Britain Independent Film Awards in December 2024Kneecap have claimed they’re at the centre of a “witchhunt” because of their outspoken views in support of Palestine, following the news that a member of the group has been charged with a terror offence.Last month, the West Belfast hip-hop trio found themselves at the centre of scrutiny over impassioned political statements they made during an appearance at the Coachella music festival in California.During their set, the group projected messages like “fuck Israel, free Palestine” onto the screens behind them, and led fans in a chant of “free Palestine”.In the days afterwards, it was reported that counter-terrorism police officers were assessing a resurfaced video in which the group reportedly declared “up Hamas, up Hezbollah” during a gig in London in November 2024.On Wednesday evening, it was confirmed that Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh – better known to Kneecap fans under the stage name Mo Chara – had been charged with a terror offence, due to a Hezbollah flag being displayed during that same Kneecap gig last year.Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh (known under the stage name Mo Chara) performing with Kneecap in Boston last yearThe following evening, Kneecap put on a surprise show at London’s 100 Club, ahead of their headlining appearance at the Wide Awake festival on Friday night.According to The Guardian, Ó hAnnaidh initially entered the stage with tape over his mouth, before telling the fans in attendance: “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.”He later added: “The reason that we are being witchhunted 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.”Bandmate Naoise Ó Cairealláin (otherwise known as Móglaí Bap) also said: “This is our first gig back [since Coachella]. They want to stop what we’re doing, because they want us to stop protesting.“There’s 60,000 plus people dead in Gaza right now. That’s the real story, it’s not about us.”Earlier that day, Kneecap issued a group statement, which read: “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.”View this post on InstagramA post shared by KNEECAP (@kneecap32)After Coachella, the rap group claimed that they were the victims of a “coordinated smear campaign”, insisting: “They want you to believe words are more harmful than genocide. Establishment figures, desperate to silence us, have combed through hundreds of hours of footage and interviews, extracting a handful of words from months or years ago to manufacture moral hysteria.“Let us be unequivocal: we do not, and have never, supported Hamas or Hezbollah. We condemn all attacks on civilians, always. It is never okay.”READ MORE:Kneecap Issue Statement After Band Member Is Charged With Terror OffenceKneecap Speak Out After Backlash Over Resurfaced Alleged CommentsKneecap Blast 'Coordinated Smear Campaign' Since Coachella Performance

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