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.
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