A member of the rap group Kneecap has been charged with terrorism for displaying a Hezbollah flag at a concert.

A member of the Irish hip-hop group Kneecap has been charged with terrorism after allegedly displaying a flag supporting the banned organization Hezbollah at a concert in London.

Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, 27, has been charged by the Metropolitan Police following an incident on November 21, 2024, at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town, London. The musician, who performs under the name Mo Chara, is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Wednesday, June 18.

In a statement posted on social media, Kneecap said: "We deny this 'offense' and will defend ourselves vehemently. This is political policing. It's a carnival of distraction. 14,000 babies are about to starve to death in Gaza , with food shipped around the world on the other side of a wall, and once again the British establishment is focused on us."

Officers from Belfast Police's counter-terrorism squad became aware of a video posted online on April 22, and an investigation was conducted that led to the Crown Prosecution Service authorizing the charge. Earlier this month, police said they would investigate videos purportedly showing the group calling for the deaths of British MPs and shouting "Up with Hamas, up with Hezbollah." Both Hamas and Hezbollah are banned in the UK, and it is an offense to express support for them.

"On Tuesday, April 22, officers within the Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorism Command were made aware of an online video of the incident. An investigation was conducted, which led the Crown Prosecution Service to authorize the aforementioned charge," reads the statement from London authorities, which states that O'Hanna is due to appear before Westminster Magistrates' Court on June 18.

Kneecap maintains it has never supported Hamas or Hezbollah and does not incite violence against anyone. They claim the video in question has been taken out of context. Since the videos surfaced, several concerts featuring the group have been canceled. However, the group is scheduled to headline the Wide Awake festival in Brockwell Park, south London, on Friday.

Separately, a November 2023 video showed a member of the group, originally from Northern Ireland, saying, "The only good Tory is a dead Tory . Kill your local MP." Tory is another word for Conservative, and MP is short for Member of Parliament. Two British MPs, Jo Cox and David Amess, have been murdered in the past decade. Kneecap later apologized to the families of Cox and Amess.

The Belfast trio is also known for their political and satirical lyrics and their use of symbols associated with the Irish republican movement, which seeks to unite Northern Ireland, currently part of the United Kingdom, with the Republic of Ireland. Their portrayal of the social reality of their generation, including their problems with housing, work, social media, and drugs, has also been noted.

The group was formed in 2017 by three friends who call themselves Mo Chara, Móglaí Bap, and DJ Próvaí. Their rise to fame inspired a semi-fictional film starring Oscar-nominated actor Michael Fassbender, which won a British Academy Film Award (Bafta) in February 2025.

In April, the group faced criticism and commercial fallout after displaying messages about the Gaza war during their performance at the US music festival Coachella last month. Their sponsor and booking agent, Independent Artist Group (IAG), withdrew their contract, and former X Factor judge Sharon Osbourne called for Kneecap's US work visa to be revoked. Footage of past concerts subsequently surfaced and was investigated by counter-terrorism officers.

Kneecap's manager, Daniel Lambert, recently told Irish broadcaster RTÉ that the whole controversy "has nothing to do with Kneecap... it's about telling the next young band... that you can't talk about Palestine."