[IsraelTimes] UK police says use of flag arouses ‘reasonable suspicion’ he supports terror group; band management offers no comment after earlier denying members support Hamas or HezbollahA member of the Irish rap band Kneecap was charged with a terrorism offense for displaying a flag in support of the Iran-backed terror group Hezbollah, British police said on Wednesday.
Liam O’Hanna, whose stage name is Mo Chara, showed the flag during one of the band’s shows in London in November, the Metropolitan Police said in a statement.
It said O’Hanna, 27, displayed the flag "in such a way or in such circumstances as to arouse reasonable suspicion that he is a supporter of a proscribed organization," in this case identified as Hezbollah, in contravention of the 2000 Terrorism Act.
Kneecap’s management team did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
O’Hanna is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on June 18.
Nearly 40 other groups and artists, among them Pulp, Paul Weller, and Primal Scream, have rallied around the band amid an escalating row about political messaging at its concerts.
Kneecap on Monday apologized to the families of murdered British politicians and denied supporting Hezbollah or Hamas
..a regional Iranian catspaw,...terrorists, after UK police said it was examining footage from a Kneecap concert in London last year that appeared to show a band member shouting "Up Hamas, up Hezbollah."
Not only do they lie, but they are so arrogant they can’t be bothered to lie well.
UK police have also said it was examining a video clip of the Belfast rap trio at a 2023 gig, appearing to show one member saying: "The only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your local MP."In February, the band posted a photo on social media of a balaclava-wearing individual, also apparently a group member, reading a book of statements by slain Hezbollah leader His Eminence Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah
...The late, lamented satrap of the Medes and the Persians in Leb...>
The Belfast trio has been praised for invigorating the Irish-language cultural scene in Northern Ireland, where the status of the language remains a contested political issue in a society still split between British unionist and Irish nationalist communities. It has also been criticized for lyrics laden with expletives and drug references and for political statements.
Kneecap was not well known outside Northern Ireland before the release of a raucous feature film loosely based on the band’s origins and fueled by a heavy mix of drugs, sex, violence, politics and humor. The group’s members played themselves in "Kneecap," which won an audience award when it was screened at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. It was shortlisted for best foreign-language picture and best original song at this year’s Academy Awards, though it didn’t make the final cut.
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