LONDON — A member of the Irish rap band Kneecap was charged with a terrorism offense for displaying a flag in support of the Iran-backed terror group Hezbollah, British police said on Wednesday.
Liam O’Hanna, whose stage name is Mo Chara, showed the flag during one of the band’s shows in London in November, the Metropolitan Police said in a statement.
It said O’Hanna, 27, displayed the flag “in such a way or in such circumstances as to arouse reasonable suspicion that he is a supporter of a proscribed organization,” in this case identified as Hezbollah, in contravention of the 2000 Terrorism Act.
Kneecap’s management team did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
O’Hanna is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on June 18.
Nearly 40 other groups and artists, among them Pulp, Paul Weller, and Primal Scream, have rallied around the band amid an escalating row about political messaging at its concerts.
British movie director Rich Peppiatt (2nd L) poses with members of the Irish-language rap group Kneecap: Mo Chara, also known as Liam O’Hanna (2nd R), Moglai Bap also known as Naoise O’Caireallain (L) and DJ Provai also known as JJ O’Dochartaigh (R), on the red carpet upon arrival at 27th British Independent Film Awards at the Roundhouse in London on December 8, 2024. (BENJAMIN CREMEL / AFP)
Kneecap on Monday apologized to the families of murdered British politicians and denied supporting Hezbollah or Hamas terrorists, after UK police said it was examining footage from a Kneecap concert in London last year that appeared to show a band member shouting “Up Hamas, up Hezbollah.”
UK police have also said it was examining a video clip of the Belfast rap trio at a 2023 gig, appearing to show one member saying: “The only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your local MP.”
Both Hezbollah and Hamas are banned as terrorist organizations in the UK, and it is a crime to express support for them.
— KNEECAP (@KNEECAPCEOL) February 23, 2025
In February, the band posted a photo on social media of a balaclava-wearing individual, also apparently a group member, reading a book of statements by slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
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.
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.
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