KNEECAP HAVE CRITICISED the Metropolitan Police’s decision to move protestors  ahead of a planned demonstration tomorrow. 

The demonstration is due to take place as Kneecap member Mo Chara (Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh) appears in Westminster Magistrates’ Court on terrorism charges. 

Ó hAnnaidh is facing charges in the UK court after he allegedly displayed a Hezbollah flag during a Kneecap show last November. 

The Met Police are to invoke Section 14, a law which allows police to impose conditions on public gatherings and assembly. In this case, the law is being used to move demonstrators from one side of the court house to the other.

Under Section 14, the Met have set a designated area where protesters must remain. 

These conditions can be imposed when police deem it necessary to prevent public disorder such as damage to property, disruption to the community or excessive noise.

In a statement, Kneecap called the decision “petty in the extreme”.

The group said the Met Police “have removed [their] supporters from anywhere close to the court entrance”.

“We massively appreciate the support of what we know are the majority of the public, who can see this farce for what it is.”

They labelled the decision a “distraction from war crimes that the British state still support every single day in Gaza” and called it “a calculated political decision”.

In a statement, a Metropolitan Police spokesperson said their decision making is “based on a thorough assessment of threat, risk and harm and the circumstances of each case, balancing the rights of those who wish to protest with serious disruption to communities and public safety”.

They said the decision was taken “due to there being more room for the protest to take place based on the anticipated number of people who are likely to attend”. 

Before Ó hAnnaidh’s last court appearance the Met Police issued a similar warning to protestors.

The group has faced backlash in recent months over its support for Palestine. This week they were banned from entering Canada for “glorifying terrorist organisations” ahead of their four scheduled gigs in Toronto and Vancouver next month. The group has since pledged to sue Canadian MP Vince Gasparro over accusations he made against them.