Kneecap member charged in UK over alleged Hezbollah flag display
3 Min Read
Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh of Irish hip-hop group Kneecap faces a UK terror charge for allegedly displaying a Hezbollah flag at a London gig. The group denies it, calling it “political policing.”
-
Mo Chara of Kneecap performs on Sunday, March 17, 2024, in Boston (AP)
Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, a member of the Irish hip-hop group Kneecap, has been charged with a terror offence in the United Kingdom after allegedly displaying a Hezbollah flag during a performance in London. The Metropolitan Police confirmed that the incident occurred on 21 November 2024 at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town.
Ó hAnnaidh, 27, also known by his stage name Mo Chara, is due to appear before Westminster Magistrates' Court on Wednesday, 18 June. He has been charged under the name Liam O'Hanna.
The Met’s counterterrorism command launched an investigation after being alerted on 22 April to a video posted online that allegedly showed the display of a flag associated with Hezbollah, which is banned under UK terror laws.
Following the investigation, the Crown Prosecution Service authorised the charge against Ó hAnnaidh.
In a statement posted on social media, Kneecap dismissed the allegations, saying, “We deny this ‘offence’ and will vehemently defend ourselves,” describing the charge as “political policing.”
“This is a carnival of distraction. 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,” they added.
— KNEECAP (@KNEECAPCEOL) May 22, 2025
Met Police launch counterterrorism investigation
Earlier this month, the Metropolitan Police said it was reviewing videos circulating online that allegedly showed Kneecap calling for the death of British MPs and shouting slogans including “up Hamas, up Hezbollah.” Both groups are proscribed in the UK, and it is a criminal offence to express support for them.
Since the footage emerged, several of the band’s scheduled performances have been cancelled. However, Kneecap is still slated to headline the Wide Awake festival at Brockwell Park in south London on Friday.
Kneecap first caught traction for their extensive solidarity with Gaza and Palestine during their Coachella performance in April.
After their first Coachella set, Kneecap said the festival censored their pro-Palestine messages from the official livestream.
During their second Coachella performance on April 18, Kneecap led the crowd with chants of “free, free Palestine” and displayed messages of solidarity on stage screens. These included, “Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people,” “It is being enabled by the US government who arm and fund Israel despite their war crimes,” and “F*** Israel. Free Palestine.”
Following the performance, Kneecap faced backlash from US mainstream media and political figures, and consequently, the group firmly denied expressing support for Hamas or Hezbollah, stating that they do not incite violence and that the videos being cited are taken out of context.
Irish band #Kneecap used their #Coachella performance to deliver a fiery political message against "Israel's" war on #Gaza.
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) April 21, 2025
On the stage, they accused "Israel" of committing genocide against the Palestinian people and called out the #US government for enabling war crimes by… pic.twitter.com/zsBPBzZk8X
