Bailed Kneecap face mixed messages before Glasto gig

Billboards, fly posters, T-shirts — nothing unusual outside a music venue.

- Vanessa Thorpe

But the slogans on the merchandise are “Defend Kneecap”, “Free Mo Chara”, and the appearance the fans are waiting for is by the person in the dock.

The Kneecap musician Mo Chara, real name Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, arrived to face a terrorism charge at Westminster magistrates court in London last Wednesday after the emergence of footage of a November gig at the Kentish Town Forum which appeared to show a band member shouting “Up Hamas, up Hezbollah”, as the Hezbollah flag was displayed.

Chara, who was released on unconditional bail, denies the charge and his fellow band members have since stated that they do not support either group. In a statement on social media in May, the band said: “We deny this ‘offence’ and will vehemently defend ourselves.”