Kneecap have been banned from advertising a concert on the London Underground over fears of “widespread and serious offence”.
The Northern Irish rap trio group from Belfast — which consists of Mo Chara, Móglaí Bap, and DJ Provaí — posted online to say a poster for one of their upcoming shows was disallowed by Transport for London (TfL).
Kneecap, who rap in Gaelic and regularly display pro-Palestinian messages during their gigs, said TfL had no issue advertising their gigs, records or BAFTA-winning film in the past.
The group have also displayed billboards across the capital, including one that read “More Blacks, More Dogs, More Irish, Mo Chara”, in reference to a discriminatory slogan used in the 20th century that read “No Blacks, No Irish, No Dogs”.
However, Kneecap said a poster promoting a show at Wembley Arena on September 18 was rejected because it is “likely to cause widespread or serious offence to reasonable members of the public on account of the product or service being advertised, the content or design of the advertisement, or by way of implication.”
It features what appears to be someone wearing a balaclava.
We've been banned from advertising on the London Tube.
— KNEECAP (@KNEECAPCEOL) July 10, 2025
How petty can political policing and interference get...
After using the tube to advertise loads of times for gigs, records and our movie, all without issue.
The below poster has been rejected because:
"it is likely to… pic.twitter.com/jx8gnqSdkF
“How petty can political policing and interference get,” Kneecap wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram. “Speak out against genocide and they'll use every single angle they can to silence you.”
They concluded their statements with “See it. Say it. Censored” — a spin on the British Transport Police’s “See it. Say it. Sorted” campaign encouraging commuters to report suspicious activity.
Kneecap has been at the centre of a political storm in recent months after Mo Chara, whose real name is Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, was charged with terrorism offences after allegedly displaying a flag in support of Hezbollah at the O2 Forum Kentish Town last year.
However, Scotland Yard last month said Kneecap will not face charges over a video that appeared to show Mo Chara saying “Kill your MP” at the Electric Ballroom in 2023.
Meanwhile, their highly-anticipated performance at Glastonbury last month was not shown live on the BBC after Sir Keir Starmer called for them to be axed from the festival.
They hit out at the Prime Minister during that set and reiterated their support for the people of Gaza.
Avon and Somerset Police later said they were investigating their performance, as well as punk band Bob Vylan after their frontman Bobby Vylan, real name Pascal Robinson-Foster, led the crowd in chanting “death to the IDF (Israel Defence Forces)”.
A TfL spokesman told The Standard: “All adverts submitted for display on our network are reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
“Having given this very careful consideration, this advert was rejected as it was deemed that running it would likely cause widespread or serious offence to reasonable members of the public.”
