Kneecap have hit out at the Metropolitan Police for invoking an order to “remove” their supporters from outside court tomorrow (Friday September 26).
The Irish rap trio’s Mo Chara (real name Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, 27) will appear at Westminster Magistrates Court for a third time on terror charges, following previous hearings in June and August.
Earlier this week, the band called on their fans to show up in London “to support Liam Óg & Kneecap against British State repression”. “Bring your flags, keffiyeh and voices,” they wrote, saying that there would also be a “line-up of speakers and musicians”.
This came after huge crowds had gathered at both previous hearings, with Paul Weller being among those who attended the first.
This afternoon (September 25), Kneecap claimed that London’s Met Police had “just invoked a section 14 for our supporters tomorrow led by The London Irish Brigade”, while attaching a screenshot of the document.
“They previously, and in our view needlessly did this before the last court date, but this time have removed our supporters from anywhere close to the court entrance. This is petty in the extreme.”
They continued: “We massively appreciate the support of what we know are the majority of the public, who can see this farce for what it is. It is distraction from war crimes that the British state still support every single day in Gaza.
“In our view this police action is designed to try and portray support for kneecap as somehow troublesome, and to keep our support far away view when we arrive and depart.”
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Kneecap went on to say that the action was “once again, a calculated political decision the day before Mo Chara’s court appearance”.
The group added: “There is no basis for this, both our last hearings were entirely peaceful and a loving show of solidarity with the most disruptive attendees being the right wing media and the police themselves who arrested a man for holding a sign only to release him later with no charge.
“We know all of our supporters will be, but please go out of your way to be compliant with all instructions issued, irrespective of how pitiful.”
Kneecap signed off by writing: “Free Mo Chara. Free Palestine. Free the six counties.”
The official Met Police document outlines “details of conditions to be imposed” at Westminster Magistrates Court, and includes a map depicting the building and its surrounding areas. A small shaded area shows where Kneecap’s supporters “must remain”.
Anyone who fails to comply could face arrest, police have warned.
It reads: “I hereby give a direction imposing the following conditions on the persons organising or taking part in the assembly, which appear to me to be necessary to prevent serious disorder, damage, disruption, impact or intimidation.
“Any person taking part in the Kneecap & The Irish Brigade assembly in support of Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh must remain within the shaded area on the attached map.
“Take notice that if you are the organiser or take part in this assembly and knowingly fail to comply with these conditions, or incite others to fail to comply, you will commit an offence and may be liable to arrest.”
You can see the statement and a screenshot of the document above. NME has reached out to the Met Police for comment.
- READ MORE: Kneecap on the cover – giving peace, protest and partying a chance
At the second court hearing on August 20, the group were greeted once again by chants of “free Mo Chara” while supporters watched guest speakers and performances of Irish folk songs and protest anthems. The case was again adjourned while the court considered whether it had been brought within the statutory six-month limit.
Prior to last month’s court appearance, Kneecap hit back at the Met after it issued Public Order Act conditions for the hearing. The police said these were being enacted to “prevent serious disruption being caused by a protest” outside the court.
Tomorrow morning, Judge Paul Goldspring will give his decision on whether he has jurisdiction to hear the case, after he said he was “conscious and anxious” that a “speedy resolution” would be wanted.
The case levelled at Mo Chara stems from an alleged incident where he reportedly displayed a Hezbollah flag during a live show last November, and shouted “up Hamas, up Hezbollah”. Both are listed as proscribed terrorist organisations by the UK Government.
In April, the band responded to the police investigation by posting a graphic, reading: “18 Months Of Genocide Footage Not Under Investigation By UK Counter-Terror Police”. The graphic was then captioned with the words: “Some facts”. They later denied the offence and vowed to “vehemently defend ourselves”.
“This is political policing,” they wrote. “This is a carnival of distraction. We are not the story. Genocide is.” Mo Chara maintains that he didn’t know what the flag was when he picked it up, and has claimed the comments were part of an in-character joke.
Kneecap have consistently denied supporting either Hamas or Hezbollah, and said they do not incite or condone violence. They have also argued that the footage at the UK shows had been taken out of context, and described the legal action as a “carnival of distraction”.
Get the full lowdown on what’s happened in the case so far here.
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