Kneecap have put billboards up round London forward of member Mo Chara’s – actual title Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh – scheduled look at Westminster Crown Courtroom over terror fees tomorrow (June 18).
- Learn Extra: Kneecap on the duvet – giving peace, protest and partying an opportunity
The Belfast rapper was charged over an alleged incident the place he reportedly displayed a Hezbollah flag throughout a Kneecap present final November. Hezbollah is listed as a proscribed terrorist organisation by the UK Authorities.
Responding to the cost, the group stated that they “deny” the offence and can “vehemently defend ourselves”. “That is political policing,” they wrote. “This can be a carnival of distraction. We aren’t the story. Genocide is.”
Kneecap have constantly denied supporting both Hamas or Hezbollah, and stated that they don’t incite or condone violence. They’ve additionally argued that the footage on the UK exhibits had been taken out of context, and described the authorized motion as a “carnival of distraction”.
Now, they’ve introduced on social media that they’ve “plastered London with a number of messages” forward of this witch-hunt”.
The submit reads: “British courts have lengthy charged individuals from the North of Eire with “terrorism” for crimes by no means dedicated. We’ll battle them. We’ll win.”
Kneecap’s London billboards learn “Extra Blacks, Extra Canine, Extra Irish, Mo Chara” – in reference to a discriminatory slogan, “No Blacks, No Irish, No Canine”, used within the mid-twentieth century to point that sure areas and providers weren’t open to those teams.
Indicators with the discriminatory slogan have been usually seen plastered on properties and companies, they usually marked racial and social prejudice at a time of heightened racial and socio-political tensions in post-war Britain.
Final month, the trio jokingly urged followers to collect at Westminster with “an enormous bag of ket” for the listening to. The feedback have been made throughout their headline set at Broad Awake 2025, simply days after Mo Chara’s fees have been made.
Throughout the set, the group addressed the fear fees and described it as a method to “silence” them from “talking on stage at Glastonbury the way in which we did at Coachella”.
“The truth that I’m talking to this quantity of individuals, and I assume the vast majority of individuals agree, exhibits that we’re on the precise facet of historical past,” Chara stated at Broad Awake, earlier than lightheartedly encouraging followers to collect outdoors the Westminster Magistrates’ Courtroom in June.
The band additionally used their headline set at London’s Broad Awake competition to echo their assist for Palestine and communicate out in opposition to efforts to close the band down forward of their Glastonbury look.
Tom Morello, Brian Eno, Pulp, Fontaines D.C. and extra not too long ago signed an open letter to guard freedom of expression. Large Assault, who themselves have boycotted performing in Israel since 1999, additionally supported the band by saying: “Kneecap aren’t the story. Gaza is the story. Genocide is the story”.
Equally, Love Music Hate Racism has shared a press release saying that the charity “stands with Kneecap”.
“Love Music Hate Racism stands with Kneecap in opposition to the makes an attempt to silence them for talking out for Gaza,” the assertion learn. “Anybody making an attempt to silence them, or get them pulled from exhibits, is on the mistaken facet of historical past.
“LMHR has at all times tried to make use of the ability of music to unite individuals in opposition to hate and division. We stand with Kneecap in opposition to these directing hate in the direction of the motion for Palestine. We name on all to face with Kneecap and defend Mo Chara on June 18 outdoors Westminster Magistrates Courtroom in London.”
In different information, Kneecap have dropped their politically-charged new single ‘The Recap’ that includes Mozey.
