Irish rap trio Kneecap have officially canceled their sold-out U.S. leg of their tour after facing controversy all year long, and now, legal prosecution.
Since April, the group had been caught up in controversy after British singer Sharon Osbourne called for their U.S. work visas to be revoked due to their performance at Coachella. She said the trio “took their performance to a different level by incorporating aggressive political statements.” At the end of their second set on Apr. 18, they led the crowds in a “Free Palestine” chant, with the Coachella screens displaying three messages: “Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people,” “It is being enabled by the US government who arm and fund Israel despite their war crimes” and “Fuck Israel. Free Palestine.”
During their performance, they explained how the situation in Palestine is unlike other attacks countries, such as Ireland, have faced in the past, as bombs rain down from the sky. “The Palestinians have nowhere to go,” they said.
Shortly after the backlash and death threats they faced after Coachella, Kneecap parted ways with their old booking agent, which lost them their work visa. The goal was to find new visas before their sold-out North America tour kicked off in October.
Now, they face an even larger problem: terrorism charges.
Just days after the Coachella incident, the U.K.’s Metropolitan Police were made aware of an incident that happened in November 2024. One of the members, Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, was allegedly waving a Hezbollah flag on stage at a concert in London.
Hezbollah was named a terrorist organization by the U.K. in 2019, as they claimed the group’s military and political wings were no longer distinguishable. The Home Secretary at the time, Sajid Javid, said the organization as a whole needed to be proscribed because the organization was “continuing in its attempts to destabilise the fragile situation in the Middle East.”
Because it is a crime in the U.K. to show any support for Hamas or Hezbollah, Ó hAnnaidh was officially charged with a terrorism offense on May 22.
The trio has called the trial “a calculated political decision” and a “distraction from the real story.”
Kneecap has denied the charges and accusations in a statement.“We do not, and have never, supported Hamas or Hezbollah,” they said in a statement. We condemn all attacks on civilians, always. It is never okay. We know this more than anyone, given our nation’s history.”
Ó hAnnaidh’s lawyer said the situation had been taken out of context and that they were also outside of the statute of limitations by one day, thus the case should no longer be legally viable. Prosecutor Michael Bisgrove claimed that the official offense was charged on May 21.
Fans with tickets in the U.S. officially received an email on Aug. 29 that tickets would be refunded due to the show cancellations.
The group posted on social media, “To all our US based fans we have some bad news. Due to the proximity of our next court hearing in London to the first date of the tour, as the British government continues its witch-hunt, we will have to cancel all 15 US tour dates in October.”
The trio’s Canadian shows are continuing as planned.
