Kneecap singer facing terror charge tells crowd 'they're trying to silence us'

A member of Irish rap trio Kneecap said the terror charge he faces is an attempt to “silence us” as the group appeared on stage for a gig they claimed was nearly “pulled”.

Liam O hAnnaidh, who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, spoke to thousands of people in Brockwell Park, south London, as the group headlined the Wide Awake Festival on Friday.

Earlier in the day they released a new song, just two days after O hAnnaidh was charged with a terror offence over the alleged display of a Hezbollah flag at a gig in November last year.

The group have been outspoken on the war in Gaza and before they emerged on stage a screen displayed the message “Free Palestine”, which was met with cheers from the crowd.

Performing alongside his bandmates Naoise O Caireallain and JJ O Dochartaigh, O hAnnaidh said he believed the prosecution was designed to “silence us” and prevent them playing Glastonbury Festival this summer.

He said: “We are being made an example of, the Israeli lobbyists are trying to prove to other artists ‘that if you speak out, we’re going to hit you where it hurts most’.

“They’re trying to cancel gigs, they trying to cancel my freedom of travel.

“And the fact that I’m speaking to this amount of people, and I assume the majority of you will agree, shows that we’re on the right side of history.”

Kneecap member Liam Og O hAnnaidh arrives at the 100 Club for the rap trio’s surprise gig (PA) PA Media

He also told the crowd at Brockwell Park in south London: “I went for an interview with the counter-terror police and within days they came to a verdict that they were going to charge me, never has it been that quick.

“And the reason it was that quick was because Glastonbury is just around the corner, they’re trying to silence us.”

One of the group said: “Thank you very much. They tried to stop this gig.”

And one was heard saying: “Honestly lads, you have no idea how close we were to being pulled off this gig.”

One of the trio thanked their fans for supporting them. Earlier, the group posted on Instagram to thank the “25,000 legends” due to attend the event.

The trio have had gigs cancelled after footage emerged allegedly showing the band calling for the deaths of MPs and shouting “up Hamas, up Hezbollah”.

They apologised last month to the families of murdered MPs but said footage of the incident had been “exploited and weaponised”.

But they also said they have “never supported” Hamas or Hezbollah, both of which are banned in the UK.

Earlier this month, the Metropolitan Police said Kneecap were being investigated by counter-terrorism police.

O hAnnaidh, 27, was then charged by postal requisition over the alleged display of a Hezbollah flag at a gig at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town, north London, in November last year and is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on June 18, the Metropolitan Police said.

On Friday night, one member was heard telling the crowd: “If anybody’s about on June 18 … we’re all going to gather outside the Westminster court to show support.”

One of the trio was also heard saying: “Anybody who’s free on June 18 – get a big bag of ket and we’ll go on the steps of Westminster.”

Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has called for Kneecap to be banned and suggested they should be dropped from the Glastonbury Festival line-up. A number of other politicians have made the same demand.

Last year, Kneecap won a discrimination case against the UK Government in Belfast High Court after former business secretary Badenoch tried to refuse them a £14,250 funding award when she was a minister.

The new song, The Recap, opens with a sample of a news report about the counter-terrorism police investigation into the group, and mocks Badenoch’s attempts to block their arts funding, and the Conservative Party’s election loss. The song also features DJ Mozey.

On Thursday, the band held a surprise gig at the 100 Club in Oxford Street, where O hAnnaidh could be seen in videos on social media arriving on stage with tape covering his mouth.

He then joked about being careful about what he said, adding that he wanted to thank his lawyer.

Formed in 2017, the group are known for their provocative lyrics in both Irish and English, and their merchandise.

Their best-known tracks include Get Your Brits Out, Better Way To Live, featuring Grian Chatten from Fontaines DC, and 3Cag.