Kneecap headline festival days after member charged with terror offence
Thousands of fans turned out for Irish band Kneecap's biggest-ever headline gig in south London, just days after one of its band members was charged with a terrorism offence.
Earlier this week, Liam Og O hAnnaidh, 27, was charged with displaying a flag in support of Hezbollah during a concert at the O2 Forum in northwest London last November.
Kneecap denied the charges, describing it as “political policing” and “a carnival of distraction” away from Israeli aggression in Gaza.
O hAnnaidh told fans at the Wide Awake Festival on Friday that UK authorities were “trying to silence us before Glastonbury” and called on fans to be “on the right side of history”.
"I know we're out, we're enjoying ourselves and we're trying to listen to some tunes at a festival... believe me, lads, I wish I didn't have to do this," he said at the event in Brixton’s Brockwell Park.
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"But the world's not listening. The world needs to see solidarity of 20,000 people in a park in London chanting 'Free, free Palestine'."
He added: “Let's remember how lucky we are to be in a field with our friends and not being bombed from the sky.”
More than 53,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza since October 2023, including over 16,500 children.
Fans were seen waving both Irish and Palestinian flags throughout the festival.
At one point, the band held up a Palestinian flag on stage, while the words “Free Palestine” were projected on a large screen behind them.
More than 40 artists - including Massive Attack, Paul Weller and Fontaines DC - have previously signed a letter defending the band's creative freedom and criticising what they called "a clear, concerted attempt to censor and ultimately de-platform the group".
The terrorism charge against O hAnnaidh came shortly after footage emerged of Kneecap displaying graphics saying "Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people" and "Fuck Israel, Free Palestine" at the Coachella festival in California.
Kneecap has repeatedly denied supporting Hezbollah or Hamas, which are proscribed organisations in the UK. It is a crime under British law to express support for either group.
Earlier this month, the Metropolitan Police said it would investigate videos allegedly showing members of Kneecap shouting "Up Hamas" and "Kill your local MP".
The group has been widely criticised by British politicians, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer's spokesperson calling the video footage "completely unacceptable".
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said Kneecap’s "anti-British hatred has no place in our society".
As business secretary, she had tried to block a £14,250 ($19,294) government grant to the group, but the High Court later ruled that the decision was "unlawful and procedurally unfair".
Kneecap maintains that it has never supported Hamas or Hezbollah, nor incited violence. The group argues that the video clips being circulated have been taken out of context.
O hAnnaidh, whose stage name is Mo Chara, is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on 18 June.
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