The authorities in London have charged a member of the Northern Irish hip-hop group Kneecap with a terrorism offense, accusing him of displaying a flag in support of the Hezbollah militant group at a concert in November.
Liam Og O Hannaidh, who goes by the stage name Mo Chara, was charged on Wednesday under a law that makes it illegal to show public support for organizations that Britain has deemed terrorist groups.
London’s Metropolitan Police said that Counterterrorism officers had investigated Mr. O Hannaidh for displaying a flag during a concert at the O2 Forum in London that appeared to be in support of Hezbollah, the militant group based in Lebanon and banned by Britain.
The police charged him under the name Liam O’Hanna, and the Crown Prosecution Service confirmed in an email that they had authorized the charges. If convicted, he faces up to six months in prison and a fine.
“We deny this ‘offense’ and will vehemently defend ourselves,” Kneecap said on Thursday in a statement shared on Instagram. “This is political policing. This is a carnival of distraction.”
In their statement, the group pointed to a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where Israel’s restrictions on aid and emergency supplies have caused severe shortages of food and medicine that doctors have called “catastrophic.”
“We are not the story. Genocide is,” the Kneecap statement added.
A video posted online of the group’s concert in London on Nov. 21 shows Kneecap performing its song “H.O.O.D.” to a cheering crowd as a member of the group unfurls a yellow flag around his shoulders. The same member can be heard later yelling: “Up Hamas, up Hezbollah!”
The Met Police said it began an investigation after being informed in April about an online video of an event on that date.
A court summons relating to the charges was sent by mail, the police said. Mr. O Hannaidh was set to appear at the Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London on June 18, the police said.
The police added that they were also investigating another video from a music event where Kneecap performed in London in November 2023.
Kneecap, a Belfast-based trio that released its first single in 2017, has built a following around its music, which features Irish lyrics over hip-hop and electronic beats. The group is known for its vocal support for Irish nationalism and a polarizing style of political messaging.
The band members played fictionalized versions of themselves in a drama about their lives and music called “Kneecap,” which won a British Academy Film Award this year.
They were scheduled to perform in London on Friday as headliners at the Wide Awake festival.
Isabella Kwai is a Times reporter based in London, covering breaking news and other trends.
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