Fontaines D.C.‘s Grian Chatten has called the terror charge against Kneecap‘s Mo Chara “a witch hunt”.
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Recent months have seen the Irish rap trio come under controversy, both for their Coachella set, which “blindsided” festival organisers, and for resurfaced footage of 2024 gigs, which allegedly saw them display a flag in support of the proscribed terrorist organisation Hezbollah.
The latter saw Mo Chara charged by the Metropolitan Police with a terror offence, and numerous live shows cancelled. He is set to appear in court on June 18.
Kneecap have consistently denied supporting either Hamas or Hezbollah, and said that they do not incite or condone violence. They have also argued that the footage at the UK shows had been taken out of context, and described the legal action as a “carnival of distraction”.
Now, Chatten has spoken out about the charge in a new interview with The Irish Times, saying: “It’s a categorical witch hunt, and that’s fairly plain to see to anyone who has a discerning eye.” He continued: “I stand by their side, and I’m totally unafraid to do so. I think all of us are.”
It follows Fontaines D.C.’s recent set at Primavera Sound in Barcelona, where they displayed signs calling for a “free Palestine” and projected the message, “Israel is committing genocide, use your voice.”
Chatten went on to tell the paper he will continue to show his support for Palestine. “No matter how scary it gets out there, don’t stop talking about Palestine,” he said. “If Sinéad O’Connor was still around she’d be speaking up and [would] probably have another media storm raged against her, as well. So, yeah, that’s what I think about it.”
He continued: “I just think when you become aware of the facts, how many people are dying… I don’t really want to live in a world where people turn a blind eye to those things. And I think the best thing for us to do, as people with platforms, is to lead by example.”
The band have been consistent in their support for the people of Palestine. Last year, they launched a football shirt with the Dublin club Bohemians FC that raised money for Medical Aid For Palestinians. It features the Palestinian flag and the words “Saoirse don Phalaistín” (Irish language for ‘Free Palestine’), and Greta Thunberg was recently seen wearing one. Visit here to buy yours.
Last summer, the band also donated their $2,000 (£1,565) prize from a viral music quiz to Doctors Without Borders “for Palestine”. The band later cancelled a scheduled show in Istanbul in solidarity with Palestine, saying that they “must be clear in our convictions”.
Chatten then explained why the group want to use their platform to speak out during an interview with NME – making a nod to the 12″ benefit single Fontaines released with Massive Attack and Young Fathers.
“It becomes incredibly tiring and disenfranchising, not just as a musician but as a young person, to be talking about and raising awareness,” he said. “At some point, you’ve got to do something that feels a bit more tangible, you know?
“It really is the responsibility of the masses, of artists, and anyone with a voice – which is most people nowadays – to do something, say something. Which side are you on?”
As for Kneecap, Love Music Hate Racism recently shared a statement saying that the charity “stands with Kneecap”, and Toddla T spoke out against a secret letter that was reportedly written to try and have the group kicked off the Glastonbury 2025 line-up.
In a recent post on Instagram, he called out what he described as a “private” letter from the “musical elite” in the industry, reportedly written to Glastonbury organisers and asking them to drop the band from the 2025 line-up.
Toddla T went on to add that he signed a different letter put forward by Heavenly Recordings, supporting the right to freedom of expression for musicians and artists. It was made as direct response to the efforts from politicians to have Kneecap – who are signed to Heavenly – removed from festival line-ups this summer.
Others who signed included the likes of Tom Morello, Brian Eno, CMAT, Pulp, Fontaines D.C., IDLES, Massive Attack, Paul Weller, Primal Scream, Enter Shikari, English Teacher, The Pogues, Lankum, Sleaford Mods and Thin Lizzy.
As well as putting their name on the letter, Massive Attack also defended Kneecap by sharing a statement that read: “Kneecap are not the story. Gaza is the story… And the silence, acquiescence and support of those crimes against humanity by the elected British government is the real story.”
The band used their recent headline set at London’s Wide Awake festival to further echo their support for Palestine, and speak out against efforts to shut the band down ahead of their Glastonbury appearance.
Despite pressure, both from politicians and in the alleged letter covertly put forward by 30 industry figures, the band remain on the Glastonbury line-up and will perform at the Worthy Farm festival on Saturday June 28.
Earlier this month, the BBC also shared a statement confirming that Kneecap’s slot – which will be held on the West Holts stage at 4pm – will still be broadcast as usual, although it may be edited to coincide with guidelines.
While there has been pressure from some MPs to have Kneecap dropped from their festival appearances this summer, there has also been mounting pressure from many artists and creatives for Prime Minister Keir Starmer to “end UK complicity” in Gaza.
