'We will win': Kneecap say terrorism charge is 'a carnival of distraction'
This is in the wake of their member, Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, being charged with a terror offence in the UK
Irish rap trio Kneecap have released a statement saying the terror offence, which one of their members has been charged with in the UK, is an attempt to "silence voices of compassion."
Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, was charged due to allegedly displaying a flag in support of Hezbollah at a concert in the O2 Forum in London on November 21, 2024.
Hezbollah is banned in the UK and it is a crime to express support for them.
In a statement shared across their social media, Kneecap said, "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.
"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.
"We stand proudly with the people. You stand complicit with the war criminals. We are on the right side of history. You are not.
"We will fight in your court. We will win. Free Palestine," they concluded.
It is understood that the 27-year-old will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on June 18.