Kneecap. Photo by Joshua Mulholland
Kneecap have cancelled the entirety of their 2025 United States tour. The tour was set to being on October 1 in New York City and run for 15 shows; four shows in Vancouver and Toronto will continue as planned.
In a press statement, the Irish rap group said they were forced to pull the dates as they were too close to a scheduled court date for Kneecap member Mo Chara, who faces a terrorism charge for displaying a flag of the militant group Hezbollah during a 2024 concert.
The band, however, said that they would reveal something "top secret" next week for US fans "so that we can still link in with you all in October." Read the band's full statement below:
“To all our US based fans, we have some bad news. Due to the close proximity of our next court hearing in London on September 26 – as the British government continues its witch-hunt – with the start of the U.S. tour, we will have to cancel all 15 U.S. tour dates in October. With every show fully sold out this is news we are sad to deliver. But once we win our court case, which we will, we promise to embark on an even bigger tour to all you great heads. Canadian shows are NOT affected and we will be playing our 4 sold out shows in Vancouver and Toronto.
We also have some good news. We will be sharing something very special for US fans next week so that we can still link in with you all in October. It's top secret for now but all will be revealed next week - stay tuned.
And remember...
'The revolution will be no re-run, brothers
The revolution will be live”
Chara was charged with a terrorism offence in May 2025 after a show in London where the rapper displayed the Hezbollah flag. He made his first court appearance in June and his been released on bail since.
Last week, Chara's defence teamed moved to have the case thrown out over a technical error. According to the BBC, they allege that the attorney general did not have the proper authorization to bring the case forward. Chief magistrate Paul Goldspring told the court he would make a decision on the motion "in a number of weeks' time."
In public statements, Chara has called the charge "pitiful" and an attempt by the British government to distract from Israel's ongoing genocide in Gaza. "We know unfortunately this story will end up in the media today while Israel commits genocide at the same time," he said at a rally following last week's court appearance.
Kneecap have been the subject of political pressure, blacklisting, and investigation over the pro-Palestinian advocacy that marks their performances. Their set at Glastonbury was initially investigated by police to determine if it broke any laws, a move the group condemned; police laster confirmed that Kneecap would not face any charges stemming from Glastonbury. Sharon Osbourne later called for the band to have their US visas revoked over "projections of anti-Israel messages and hate speech."