Kneecap rapper won't be charged for the 'kill your local MP' comment in viral clip

Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, part of the Northern Irish rap group Kneecap and known on stage as Mo Chara, will not face charges over comments made during a 2023 concert in London. The Metropolitan Police stated they carried out a full investigation, but legal limitations made it impossible to proceed with any official charges.

The issue stemmed from an incident in November 2023 where the Kneecap rapper was recorded making controversial remarks at a live show. Phrases like “kill your local MP” and “the only good Tory is a dead Tory” were caught on video and later spread on social media in April 2024. This led the Metropolitan Police’s Counter Terrorism Command to conduct a review of the situation.

Officials from the Met stated that they considered multiple offenses during the investigation. However, the time between the performance and when the footage was reported to the police went beyond the legal limit to prosecute summary-only offenses. As a result, they have closed the case without taking further steps.

The Met said,

“A range of offences were considered as part of the investigation. However, given the time elapsed between the events in the video and the video being brought to police attention, any potential summary only offences were beyond the statutory time limit for prosecution.”

Kneecap under fresh scrutiny following legal charges and Glastonbury controversy

Ó hAnnaidh, the Kneecap rapper, is still being looked at in a different legal case. He has been charged with promoting a banned terrorist group. These charges come from a separate incident in November 2023 when he was accused of showing a Hezbollah flag and expressing support for both Hamas and Hezbollah.

The update comes a few days after Kneecap performed at Glastonbury Festival 2025. Their appearance brought fresh public focus because of their intense performances. They performed alongside punk band Bob Vylan, whose live set included the chant "death to the IDF," which aired on BBC iPlayer. Political leaders, like Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, criticized the remark.

Only after Ó hAnnaidh’s words came to light did we see a replay of the criticism for Kneecap’s public stand. Katie Amess, daughter of the late Conservative MP Sir David Amess, brought up the issue of what these statements may do.

She reported the remarks as “dangerous” and argued that they may affect people who are prone to violence. Sir David Amess died when he was attacked in 2021 during a meeting with his constituents.

Kneecap put out a statement on the issue. They apologized to the families of Sir David Amess and Jo Cox, the Labour MP who was killed in a different incident in 2016. They said that their intent was misinterpreted and that they do not support extremist groups or violence.

At the same time, reports suggest their planned tour in the United States might face challenges. Officials in the U.S. are said to be reviewing the band's visa situation because of these continuing controversies.

Follow SoapCentral for more updates.

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback