A MEMBER of Belfast hip-hop trio Kneecap has been charged with a terror offence over a flag displayed at a show in London.
The Met Police say Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh — who the force refers to as Liam O’Hanna — is charged with displaying a flag in support of Hezbollah, a proscribed organisation.
It follows an investigation by the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command and relates to a show at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town, London on November 21 last year.
The force said that the 27-year-old, who performs under the name Mo Chara, displayed the flag ‘in such a way or in such circumstances as to arouse reasonable suspicion that he is a supporter of a proscribed organisation, namely Hizballah’.
“Officers from the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command were made aware on Tuesday, April 22 of an online video from the event,” added a statement.
“An investigation was carried out, which led to the Crown Prosecution Service authorising the above charge.”
Kneecap recently apologised to the families of murdered MPs Jo Cox and David Amess after a video from a 2023 show resurfaced in which one member says: “The only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your local MP.”
In a statement, they said they rejected ‘any suggestion that we would seek to incite violence against any MP or individual’.
The band, who have been open about their support of Palestine, were also recently criticised over messages displayed at their Coachella shows in April.
One read: “Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people,” with a second adding: “It is being enabled by the US government who arm and fund Israel despite their war crimes.”
A third read: “F*** Israel. Free Palestine.”
Kneecap responded with a statement saying the criticism was part of ‘a coordinated smear campaign’.
“Let us be absolutely clear. The reason Kneecap is being targeted is simple — we are telling the truth, and our audience is growing,” they said.
“Those attacking us want to silence criticism of a mass slaughter.
“They weaponize false accusations of antisemitism to distract, confuse, and provide cover for genocide.”
Ó hAnnaidh is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, June 18.