UK police drop Kneecap probe after Glastonbury performance
UK police said on Friday they had dropped a criminal investigation into on-stage comments by Irish rappers Kneecap at the Glastonbury festival. Avon and Somerset Police in southwest England said last month it had launched an enquiry after reviewing 'video footage and audio' of both Kneecap and London-based duo Bob Vylan, whose frontman led a chant against the Israeli army at the festival.
The Kneecap probe was focused on remarks made about a forthcoming court case in which one band member Liam O'Hanna, known by his stage name Mo Chara, is charged with a 'terror' offence over alleged support for banned organisations Hamas and Hezbollah. But in an update the force said it would take no further action against Kneecap, whose members had been informed of the decision.
'Detectives sought advice from the Crown Prosecution Service during their enquiries and after that advice, we have made the decision to take no further action on the grounds there is insufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction for any offence,' it said. Inquiries into the separate allegations against Bob Vylan, however, would continue, it added. Chara appeared in court in June accused of having displayed a Hezbollah flag while saying 'Up Hamas, Up Hezbollah' at a London concert last year.
Hezbollah and Hamas are banned in the UK, where it is an offence to express support for them. Kneecap deny the terrorism charge and say the video featuring the Hezbollah flag has been taken out of context. — AFP
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