After reportedly flying a banner in favour of the banned group Hezbollah during a London performance, a member of the Irish-language hip-hop group Kneecap has been charged with a terror offence.
The Metropolitan Police have accused 27-year-old Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh in connection with an incident at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town, London, on November 21, 2024. On Wednesday, June 18, Mr. Ó hAnnaidh, who goes by the stage name Mo Chara, is scheduled to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court. On 22 April, a video from the incident was posted online and shared with officers from the Met’s counter-terrorism department.
Following an inquiry, the Crown Prosecution Service authorised the charge. The Met announced earlier this month that police will look into internet footage purportedly depicting the gang yelling “up Hamas, up Hezbollah” and demanding the deaths of British Members of Parliament.
In the UK, it is illegal to show support for Hamas or Hezbollah, and both organisations are prohibited. In Lebanon, Hezbollah is a Shia Muslim political and military organisation that has participated in several bloody wars. Kneecap claims that they would never encourage violence against anyone and have never backed Hamas or Hezbollah. They claim that the video as mentioned earlier has been misinterpreted.
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