Kneecap have said the terror charge facing member Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh is a "carnival of distraction", and that the British establishment are trying to "silence voices of compassion."

Ó hAnnaidh, who is better known by his stage name Mo Chara, was charged for displaying of a pro-Hezbollah flag during a show at the 02 Forum in North London last November “in such a way or in such circumstances as to arouse reasonable suspicion that he is a supporter of a proscribed organisation”, according to the London Metropolitan Police.

Posting to social media this morning, the band said they will "vehemently defend" themselves.

"As they profit from genocide, they use 'anti-terror law' against us for displaying a flag thrown on stage," reads Kneecap's statement.

"A Charge not serious enough to even warrant their 'crown court', instead a court that doesn't have a jury. 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."

Kneecap say they will fight the charge, with Ó hAnnaidh due to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on June 18.

• Read Kneecap's statement below:

 

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