Kneecap’s Mo Chara Is on Trial for Opposing Genocide in Gaza
Kneecap’s Mo Chara Is on Trial for Opposing Genocide in Gaza
The British authorities have brought trumped-up charges against a member of Irish hip-hop group Kneecap in a bid to stifle criticism of their own complicity with Israeli war crimes. But no amount of legal harassment can stop the truth from getting out.
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/30627649
By Daniel Finn
05.23.2025
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Not exactly. He is on trial after videos have been revealed showing him calling for upping the Islamic terrorist groups Hamas and Hezbollah, and calling on the audience to kill their MP.
Considering in the last five years, two MPs: Jo Cox and David Amess have both been murdered on the job it is not at all surprising he has found himself on trial.
You're gonna need to help us with that charge.
Seems like he waved a flag.
In the wake of the Coachella display, supporters of Israel combed through Kneecap’s back catalogue of performances in search of something they could use to attack the band without having to acknowledge the charge of genocide, against which there is no credible defense. London’s Metropolitan Police have now accused Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, who goes by the name “Mo Chara” (“my friend”) when performing, of waving a Hezbollah flag during a gig last November “in such a way or in such circumstances as to arouse reasonable suspicion that he is a supporter of a proscribed organisation.”
Yes, Hezbollah is a proscribed terrorist organisation. Waving its flag is promoting that organisation, which is an offence under terrorism laws.
Hezbollah is a proscribed terrorist organisation
By who? The same Western Countries who are funding an apartheid ethnosupremacist state committing genocide and suppressing any resistance. They also labeled the IRA (What do you think the name Kneecap comes from), the FLN, the Vietcong, the ANC as proscribed terrorist organizations. They always label resistance groups against colonialism as terrorists. It doesn't mean shit.
Hezbollah is also a prominent party within Lebanon's parliamentary system, and only exists out of armed resistance against the settler colonialist actions of Israel within Lebanon.
So he's on trial for "calling for upping Hamas" and incitement to murder MPs where exactly?
The court of Public Opinion?
Not quite, an unidentifed band member shouted out to kill your MP, but it doesn't appear to be him:
https://www.thejc.com/news/uk/kneecap-charged-terror-offence-hezbollah-flag-liam-ohanna-pfzlvl83
"The band, which hit the headlines after projecting the slogan “f*** Israel, free Palestine” above its set at Coachella last month, came under scrutiny after a pair of contentious clips resurfaced online.
One showed a member of the band shout “the only good Tory is a dead Tory” and “kill your local MP”.
In the other, one of the performers – alleged to be O’Hanna – could be seen apparently wearing a Hezbollah flag while shouting “up Hamas, up Hezbollah”."
All great, no notes. Kill Tories is even better than up hamas imo
Right?
one of the performers – alleged to be O’Hanna – could be seen apparently wearing a Hezbollah flag
Like, an IRA flag would go great with that
Lad,you've clearly know nothing about northern ireland if you want to talk about flags. Just look it up or look up 11/12th july
northern irelandNorth of Ireland
Yea you definitely don't know shit about this place
I dont know about the UK, but the EU distinguishes between the armed wing of Hezbollah and the political wing. Hezbollah is in the Lebanese parliament and was part of the Lebanese government.
Now they did commit quite some atrocities, but by that logic waving any flag of countries like Germany, UK, France, US, China, Russia amd many more would be prohibited. Obv. if we apply same standards Israel and most of its political parties, the IDF and many of Israels "civil", organizatioms would need to be designated as terrorist groups.
Same for Hamas. Hamas has an armed wing but also a political wing that ran the civil administration of Gaza and still tries to do that, despite Israel mass slaughtering any civil servant. That the distinction between armed and civil wing is granted by the EU to Hezbollah but not to Hamas has no rational basis.
Then again the UK considers "stop oil" to be terroristic so the entire system of terror designations in the UK does not really care about employing a rational and consistent system.
Being called a terrorist by Western imperial powers or their genocidal proxies is not the flex you think it is
Do you know where I can find the video?
No such videos exist. He was charged for "waving a Hezbollah flag" in a concert because they couldn't get away with arresting him for putting this on a banner:
Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people: It is being enabled by the US government who arm and fund Israel despite their war crimes.
Fuck Israel. Free Palestine.
I don't know if the commentor above is misinformed or just covering for Israel's genocide.
Lotta propagandists on lemmy weren't good enough to be on the reddit/Facebook teams I've noticed
That's what I thought. I've been unable to dig up proof of any of the claims outside declaring the Gaza situation a genocide
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cp8kpljj26go.amp
I didn't find the video but it was being investigated by the police according to this article.
"A video has emerged of the west Belfast trio at a November 2023 gig appearing to show one person from the band saying: "The only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your local MP."
The Metropolitan Police also said that another video, from November last year, is being assessed. The footage appeared to show a band member shouting "up Hamas, up Hezbollah" at a performance in London."