‘Why should I regret it?': Kneecap rapper hits back at criticism ahead of Glastonbury gig
Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh accused critics of 'scraping the bottom of the barrel' in their opposition to the west Belfast hip-hop trio.
He was speaking in an interview with The Guardian ahead of their Glastonbury appearance this weekend.
Mr Ó hAnnaidh (27), who appeared in court last week charged with a terrorism offence over displaying a flag, responded when asked if the band regretted controversial comments previously made on stage.
The group faced criticism following their appearance at American music festival Coachella where they displayed anti-Israel and pro-Palestine messages.
Footage then resurfaced of gigs from November 2024 and November 2023 respectively, which allegedly showed rapper Mo Chara saying 'Up Hamas, Up Hezbollah' with an alleged Hezbollah flag, and a band member allegedly saying: 'The only good Tory is a dead Tory, kill your local MP.'
Referring to his alleged appearance on stage with a Hezbollah flag, over which the rapper is facing terrorism charges, Mr Ó hAnnaidh said: 'It's a joke. I'm a character. S*** is thrown on stage all the time. If I'm supposed to know every f***ing thing that's thrown on stage.
'I don't know every proscribed organisation – I've got enough s*** to worry about up there. I'm thinking about my next lyric, my next joke, the next drop of a beat.'
Ó hAnnaidh then went on to defend his controversial 'dead Tory' comments, for which Kneecap apologised, saying: 'Why should I regret it? It was a joke'.
'Kneecap is not the story. Genocide in Gaza is' – Belfast rappers release new video demanding action against Israel
He added that Kneecap's opponents 'went and combed through eight years of a career… they're really scraping the bottom of the barrel', saying that they 'took those videos out of context'.
The group have claimed that their pro-Palestine stance has made them the victim of widespread scrutiny, with the rapper adding: 'The point is, that video wasn't an issue until we said 'Free Palestine' at Coachella'.
At Mr Ó hAnnaidh's appearance in Westminster Magistrates Court last week, thousands of fans joined in chants of 'Free, Free Palestine' and 'Free Mo Chara' as he arrived wearing a traditional Palestinian Keffiyeh around his neck.
Mr Ó hAnnaidh said he believes the rap group's pro-Palestine stance is drawing crowds to their music.
'The genocide in Palestine is a big reason we're getting such big crowds at our gigs, because we are willing to put that message out there," he added.
He claims that mainstream media has tried to 'suppress that idea about the struggle in Palestine'.
He added: 'We knew exactly that this (criticism) was going to happen, maybe not to the extreme [level] that it has, but we knew that the Israeli lobbyists and the American government weren't going to stand by idly while we spoke to thousands of young Americans who agree with us.
'They don't want us coming to the American festivals, because they don't want videos of young Americans chanting 'free Palestine' [even though] that is the actual belief in America. They just want to suppress it.'
Kneecap are due to play Glastonbury's West Holts stage at 4pm on Saturday.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said last week that their performance would not be 'appropriate'.
But Glastonbury co-organiser Emily Eavis said that 'everyone is welcome' at the festival: 'There have been a lot of really heated topics this year, but we remain a platform for many, many artists from all over the world and, you know, everyone is welcome here.'
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