Irish language hip-hop trio Kneecap have addressed the terrorism charges brought against rapper Mo Chara – real name Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh – in a newly-released single. Dropped on Tuesday afternoon before an upcoming Ireland and UK tour, No Comment is “all about getting harassed by the British state,” said the Belfast-Derry trio. “Us Irish are well used to it, been happening for centuries.”
“It’s all about the police witch-hunt against Mo Chara. Free Palestine. Free the 6 counties, F**k the peelers,” they said on Instagram. “We’re playing it live on our current sold out tour across Europe, Scotland, Wales and England.”
The frantic two-minute song is a collaboration with British producer Sub Focus, aka Nicolaas Douwma, who has previously worked with Prodigy, Dizzee Rascal, and Deadmau5 and is known for his bass-heavy sound.
The track is Kneecap’s first release since the terrorism case against Ó hAnnaidh was dismissed by a British court in September. He had been charged with a terror offence after allegedly displaying a Hizbullah flag on stage in London in November 2024. Police in the UK said they weren’t made aware of the incident until the following April, after controversy over the group’s appearance at the Coachella festival in California, at which they had displayed the message “F**k Israel Free Palestine”.
READ MORE
The case was struck out because the Britain’s Crown Prosecution Service had not filed the charges in time. Last month, the CPS said it was appealing the ruling. Ó hAnnaidh said the flag was thrown on stage and he had no idea what it symbolised as he waved it.
Kneecap addressed the arrest during their largest show yet at Wembley Arena in London on September 18th. “I wasn’t the first and I won’t be the last Irishman in court in London on trumped-up terrorism charges,” Ó hAnnaidh told the crowd.
No Comment clocks in at a brisk two minutes, and the lyrics, which are in both Irish and English, draw a contrast between the pressure of life on tour and the strain of being prosecuted by the authorities.
[ UK prosecutors to appeal decision to throw out terror case against Kneecap rapperOpens in new window ]
The band talk about “sharing the truth / in the West Bank and Gaza….” and later reflect on waking up “in a new hotel ... headache / back on tour ... I must have drunk a lot.” The tune finishes with a friend of the narrator going missing after a night out: “I think someone kidnapped him / I’m not sure what’s going on / Maybe the Israelis or MI5 took him.”
Mo Chara also discusses death threats he received in the wake of the prosecution. “Have you ever been plastered on the news when you’ve got the heebie-jeebies?” he raps. “Far from ideal / Got death threats on my screen.”
The cover art for the single is a mural by underground artist Banksy, which appeared on a wall outside London’s Royal Court of Justice in September, depicting a protester with a placard lying on the ground, a judge crouched above, using a gavel like a hammer. At the time, Kneecap protested its removal, saying, “You can’t wash away genocide ... your complicity will always remain.”
Kneecap headline Gleneagles Arena, Killarney, on December 12th and 13th, and play their biggest stand-alone Irish shows yet at the 3Arena, Dublin, on December 16th and 17th.
