By Sam Tabahriti
LONDON (Reuters) -Irish rap trio Kneecap has cancelled its 15-date U.S. tour scheduled for October, it said on Monday, citing the proximity of a London court hearing where member Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh faces a terrorism charge.
Ó hAnnaidh, known by his stage name Mo Chara, is accused of displaying a flag of Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah during a performance in London in November 2024.
The 27-year-old was charged in May under the Terrorism Act that prohibits displaying articles in a way that may suggest support for a proscribed organisation.
The Belfast-based band, which has said the flag was thrown on stage during its performance, said the closeness of the September 26 hearing to the start of the tour made it impossible to proceed with the 15 scheduled dates.
“To all our U.S.-based fans we have some bad news,” the band said in an Instagram post.
“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 U.S. tour dates in October.”
Hundreds of supporters attended a hearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court last week, where Ó hAnnaidh’s lawyers argued the charge was filed outside the legal time limit.
Kneecap, which performs in Irish and English, has previously said the charge is an attempt to silence the group, which has been vocal on political issues, including the war in Gaza.
(Reporting by Sam Tabahriti; editing by Barbara Lewis)
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