Irish rappers Kneecap on Thursday denied supporting a proscribed group and vowed to defend themselves after a singer was charged with a "terror" offence for allegedly displaying a Hezbollah flag at a London concert.

The Iran-backed Lebanese force Hezbollah and the Palestinian militant group Hamas are banned in the UK and it is an offence to support them.

"We deny this 'offence' and will vehemently defend ourselves. This is political policing. This is a carnival of distraction," the band said on X.

Liam O'Hanna, 27, known by his stage name Mo Chara, was charged on Wednesday with showing support for a proscribed group during a London performance on November 21.

Daring provocateurs to their fans, dangerous extremists to their detractors, the Belfast group rap in the Irish language as well as English.

They have courted controversy since they were formed in 2017.

Last year the group was catapulted to international fame by a semi-fictionalised film, partly in Irish, partly in........

© Al Monitor