Member of Irish rap trio Kneecap charged with a terror offense in the UK

LONDON (AP) — British police on Wednesday charged a member of Irish hip-hop group Kneecap with a terrorism offense for allegedly waving a Hezbollah flag at a concert.

The Metropolitan Police force said Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, 27, was charged under the Terrorism Act with displaying a flag in support a proscribed organization. The alleged offense happened at the Kentish Town Forum, a London venue, on Nov. 21, 2024.

The force said the musician — whose stage name is Mo Chara, and whom police referred to by the English spelling of his name, Liam O’Hanna — is due in court on June 18.

Earlier this month, police said Kneecap was being investigated by counterterror detectives after videos emerged allegedly showing the band shouting “up Hamas, up Hezbollah” and calling on people to kill lawmakers.

After the police investigation was announced, Kneecap said it had “never supported Hamas or Hezbollah,” and accused “establishment figures” of taking comments out of context to “manufacture moral hysteria.”

The Belfast trio has been praised for invigorating the Irish-language cultural scene in Northern Ireland, where the status of the language remains a contested political issue in a society still split between British unionist and Irish nationalist communities.

It has also been criticized for lyrics laden with expletives and drug references and for political statements.

Police said they are still investigating footage from another Kneecap concert in November 2023.

Several Kneecap gigs have been canceled as a result of the controversy, and some British lawmakers have called on organizers of next month’s Glastonbury Festival to scrap a planned performance.

Kneecap was not well known outside Northern Ireland before the release of a raucous feature film loosely based on the band’s origins and fueled by a heavy mix of drugs, sex, violence, politics and humor.

The group’s members played themselves in “Kneecap,” which won an audience award when it was screened at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. It was shortlisted for best foreign-language picture and best original song at this year’s Academy Awards, though it didn’t make the final cut.