LONDON (AP) 鈥� Fans of the Irish-language hip-hop group Kneecap mobbed sidewalks outside a London court Wednesday as a member of the trio faced a in what he says is a politically motivated effort to silence the band鈥檚 support for Palestinians before its appearance at the .
Rapper Mo Chara, whose real name is Liam 脫g 脫 hAnnaidh, was released on unconditional bail after the hearing at Westminster Magistrates鈥� Court. His next court appearance is scheduled for Aug. 20.
The single charge against Chara stems from a Nov. 21 concert in north London where he waved a flag in a manner that aroused 鈥渞easonable suspicion鈥� he supported the Lebanese militant group, which is banned in Britain as a terrorist organization, the Metropolitan Police Service said in a statement last month.
Prosecutor Michael Bisgrove told the court on Wednesday Chara wasn鈥檛 being prosecuted because of his support for the Palestinians or criticism of Israel.
鈥淗e鈥檚 well within his rights to voice his opinions and solidarity, as is anybody else,鈥欌�� Bisgrove said. 鈥淭he allegation in this case is a wholly different thing and deals with a video recording showing that, in November of last year, Mr. O hAnnaidh wore and displayed the flag of Hezbollah, a proscribed terrorist organization, while saying 鈥榰p Hamas, up Hezbollah.鈥欌�欌��
Kneecap, which raps about drugs, working-class life and the reunification of Ireland, has supported the Palestinian cause throughout the . The band has been the center of controversy in Britain since last year, when the previous government sought to block an arts grant for the band, citing its anti-British politics. That decision was overturned after the Labour Party won last year鈥檚 parliamentary election and Prime Minister Keir Starmer took office.
The trio is scheduled to perform at Glastonbury on Saturday, alongside performers including Neil Young and Olivia Rodrigo. The internationally watched music festival is a five-day event that attracts about 200,000 people to a farm outside the small town in western England every summer.
As they entered the courthouse, the three Kneecap members, who hail from , gave the thumbs up sign to hundreds of supporters who had gathered outside, waving signs reading: 鈥淔ree Mo Chara鈥� and 鈥淒efend Kneecap.鈥�
The group has repeatedly said it doesn鈥檛 support Hezbollah or Hamas, nor condone violence.
Before the hearing, the band posted billboards around London bearing the slogan 鈥淢ore Blacks, More Dogs, More Irish, Mo Chara.鈥� The message echoes the signs landlords placed in the windows of some London boarding houses in the 1950s, stating 鈥淣o Blacks, No Dogs, No Irish.鈥�
鈥淏ritish courts have long charged people from the North of Ireland with 鈥榯errorism鈥� for crimes never committed,鈥� Kneecap said in a statement posted on social media. 鈥淲e will fight them. We will win.鈥�
Danica Kirka, The Associated Press
