The Japan Times - Concert cancellations just made us bigger, say Kneecap

In an interview with AFP that saw the trio address their legal problems and their solidarity with the Palestinian cause, they reflected on a summer of being one of the most controversial groups in the music business.

Several gigs in Germany and Austria were cancelled, they were blocked from entering Hungary, while British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called (unsuccessfully) on the organisers of Glastonbury festival to disinvite the Belfast natives.

"It's a slippery slope and a bad place when governments and councils are deciding what people can listen to," Mo Chara, whose real name is Liam O'Hanna, told AFP.

He denied that the group created controversy for the sake of it, but said the media attention and gig cancellations had helped spread the word about their music.

"People are saying that we've profited from this, and there's no doubt there's more people coming to the gigs, which leads to obviously more profit," he said.

"The thing is, we've never changed. The movement has changed," he continued. "The support for Palestine has grown. We've always talked about Palestine. We've always had a Palestinian flag on stage, or at least spoke about it from when we started."

Flags are at the heart of a court case that has seen O'Hanna charged with a terrorism offence after he allegedly brandished a flag of banned Lebanese militant group Hezbollah at a London concert.

He is also alleged to have said "Up Hamas, up Hezbollah" at the gig in November 2024, referencing the two Iran-funded anti-Israel militant groups.

- 'Ridiculous' -

O'Hanna has denied wrong-doing, saying in previous interviews that he didn't know what the Hezbollah flag was, or that he is part of a sometimes satirical music act that should not be taken at face value.

The band have also issued a statement saying "they do not, and have never, supported Hamas or Hezbollah."

Fellow rapper Moglai Bap (Naoise O Caireallain) told AFP the reasons "they don't want us in Germany or some of these cities is because they want to criminalise people who are in support of Palestine."

Kneecap have also withdrawn from a planned tour in the United States because of O'Hanna's upcoming court appearance on September 26.

"Once the case is finished -- and it's clearly going to get thrown out, because it's ridiculous ... we'll be back, of course," O'Hanna said of future plans to perform in the US.

In April, their appearance at the giant US festival Coachella generated heat when they projected the words "Fuck Israel, Free Palestine."

- 'Safe space' -

O'Hanna, O Caireallain, and DJ Provai (JJ O Dochartaigh) formed Kneecap in Belfast in 2018, gathering local attention by rapping in Irish and railing against Britain's ongoing rule in Northern Ireland.

The group takes its name from "kneecapping", attacks carried out by Irish Republicans that saw opponents shot in the legs.

Their high-energy gigs and prolific drug-taking were captured in the 2024 award-winning film "Kneecap" by Rich Peppiatt, which brought them to a wider audience and accelerated their rise.

Critics view them as extremist provocateurs.

"Major labels in music always want to create this narrative that music is separate from politics," O Caireallain, whose father was an Irish language campaigner, told AFP. "I think they're intertwined politics and people and music. It's a natural thing."

He says that Kneecap gigs have now become a "safe space" for people to express their disgust at Israel's ongoing siege and occupation of Gaza where more than 60,000 people have died since October 2023, according to figures from the Hamas-run health ministry.

Their concert in Paris on Monday evening saw several Palestinian flags displayed as well as chants of "Free Palestine."

O'Hanna says Kneecap have helped blaze a trail for others to express their support and opposition to Israeli policies more openly.

"A few years ago, the idea of waving a Palestinian flag in certain countries in Europe might have seemed daunting to people," he said. "Maybe there's some kind of stigma taken away from talking about it (the Palestinian cause)."

He believes Palestinians are "hidden away, like we have to pretend that they don't exist."

"But we're not going to pretend we don't see this happening, we don't see these people. That's lunacy," he added.

T.Kobayashi--JT