Kneecap banned from advertising on London Underground
Irish trio Kneecap have been banned from advertising an upcoming show on the London underground amid the ongoing terror charge against their own Mo Chara.
Kneecap’s Mo Chara is facing terrorism charges after footage from 2024 showed the rapper yelling “Up Hamas! Up Hezbollah!”. Chara is currently on unconditional bail and due back in court on August 20th in the English capital. However, the Metropolitan police confirmed that no charges would be brought against them relating to comments in which he allegedly said “Kill your MP,” which surfaced from a 2023 show.
Additionally, the UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer recently called for the removal of the band from the Glastonbury line-up, claiming they were “not appropriate.” Since, Kneecap have slammed the important politician. However, the London Underground now also deems their image and music not appropriate to advertise on the tube network, according to the band.
The post on X, which contains an image of a poster for their upcoming OVO Wembley Arena show, began simply, “We’ve been banned from advertising on the London Tube. How petty can political policing and interference get…”
The band continued, “After using the tube to advertise loads of times for gigs, records and our movie, all without issue. The below poster has been rejected because: ‘it is likely to cause widespread or serious offence to reasonable members of the public on account of the product or service being advertised, the content or design of the advertisement, or by way of implication.'”
Outraged, they then finished the post with two statements to gesture at the inconsistent messaging they are hitting out at, writing, “Speak out against genocide and they’ll use every single angle they can to silence you. Join the IOF, murder kids, fly to London and nothing happens – you’ll be welcomed and applauded.”
The poster in question shows the Kneecap logo, with the words underneath “OVO Arena Wembley, London, Thurs 18th September ’25.” In smaller letters, it also states, “A DHP presentation by arrangement with primary talent international.”
Kneecap added an extra comment to their Instagram post, mimicking the usual slogan of the London Underground, “See it. Say it. Sorted,” with their own replacement, “See it. Say it. Censored.”
At their latest show in Glasgow, the boys placed a new target in their firing zone after lashing out at Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney during their July 8th performance. “What’s your first minister’s name?” Mo Chara said, adding: “They stopped us playing TRNSMT but they can’t stop us playing Glasgow.”
Kneecap recently supported Amyl and the Sniffers and Fontaines DC at a massive gig in London’s Finsbury Park. Far Out, who attended the event, wrote of their set, “What was all the more impressive than a dizzying crowd of all ages, sweating and yelling over one another, was their candid address of activism in the internet age. ‘I understand that it’s almost inhumane that I’m thinking of new things to say on stage during a genocide, for sound bites,’ Chara said, before insisting the situation is ‘beyond words now’, detailing how food and aid collection areas in Gaza have been trend ‘into killing fields’.”
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