The Northern Irish rap group Kneecap, which displayed a Hezbollah flag at one of its shows, has canceled its upcoming U.S. tour amid an ongoing court case over a terrorism-related charge against one of its members.
Calling it a “witch-hunt,” Kneecap relayed on social media that “we will have to cancel all 15 U.S. tour dates in October,” British media reported on Tuesday.
The band said it was sad to deliver the news to its tens of thousands of fans who have purchased tickets, promising to “embark on an even bigger tour … once we win our court case.”
The case has been adjourned until Sep. 26, according to the BBC.
Band member Liam O’Hanna, 27, whose stage-name is Mo Chara, was accused by London police in May of violating U.K. terrorism law in connection with a video allegedly showing him draped in a Hezbollah flag during a performance in London on Nov. 21, 2024.
According to the Metropolitan Police, O’Hanna is accused of displaying a flag “in support of a proscribed organization” while performing with Kneecap.
O’Hanna denies the offense, and the rap group says its three members do not support Hezbollah or Hamas, the BBC reported.
O’Hanna has appeared twice in a London court, and has been on unconditional bail since his first court appearance in June, the report added.
The charge against him followed headlines that the Irish band made in April for projecting “F**k Israel, free Palestine” at the Coachella music festival in California. The festival’s organizers cut the livestream of the performance, Kneecap claimed at the time.
In addition, two controversial videos resurfaced online on April 22. One shows a band member shouting, “The only good Tory is a dead Tory” and “Kill your local MP.” In the other, a performer—alleged to be O’Hanna—is seen apparently wearing a Hezbollah flag and shouting, “Up Hamas, up Hezbollah.”
At least 26 countries, Britain among them, have designated the Iranian-backed Hezbollah group as a terrorist organization.
Four sold-out shows in Toronto and Vancouver will go ahead as scheduled on Oct. 14-15 and Oct. 22-23, respectively, the report added.
In June, the U.S. State Department revoked the visas for the members of the Bob Vylan band, who are facing a criminal probe in the U.K. for leading chants there of “Death to the IDF.”
“Foreigners who glorify violence and hatred are not welcome visitors to our country,” Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said following the decision. Bob Vylan had a U.S. tour lined up in November.
