Police officers attend intimate Kneecap show at 100 Club
Police officers attended Kneecap‘s performance at London’s 100 Club on May 22nd, marking their first show since Mo Chara was charged with a terror offence.
The last-minute show was announced merely hours before the concert began in central London last night and acted as a warm-up for their headline performance at Wide Awake, set to take place at Brockwell Park on May 23rd.
Sky News reports that three police officers were seen entering the 100 Club at around 7:35pm on May 23rd, including one man wearing a band t-shirt.
The concert sold out within 90 seconds, and 2,000 people were waiting for tickets. Kneecap used the show to again defend Palestine with Mo Chara telling the crowd: “As we said, we’re not the fucking story here. They are using us as a scapegoat not to talk about the real fucking issue. I don’t need to explain that to you cunts, I appreciate you all coming. Free Palestine”.
He also claimed: “There’s a reason where what’s happened to me, happened before Glastonbury. There’s a reason they’re trying to fucking stop me speaking at Glastonbury in front of the UK.”
Mo Chara also poked fun at the police investigation and subsequent terror charge for on-stage comments by wearing tape over his mouth during the show.
A day before the 100 Club concert, Chara was charged with a terror offence for allegedly displaying a Hezbollah flag at a London concert at the O2 Kentish Town Forum last November. Hezbollah is listed as a terrorist organisation by the UK authorities.
In a statement, Kneecap said they “deny this offence”, described the charge as “political policing” and labelled the situation “a carnival of distraction”.
The Irish trio continued: “What’s the objective? To restrict our ability to travel. To prevent us speaking to young people across the world. To silence voices of compassion. To prosecute artists who dare speak out. Instead of defending innocent people, or the principles of international law they claim to uphold, the powerful in Britain have abetted slaughter and famine in Gaza, just as they did in Ireland for centuries. Then, like now, they claim justification.”
Kneecap concluded: “We stand proudly with the people. You stand complicit with the war criminals. We are on the right side of history. You are not. We will fight you in your court. We will win. Free Palestine.”
Chara, real name Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, is now set to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on June 18th.
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