Kneecap legal fees crowdfund gets deadline extension after donations slow - old version risked failing after cash from fans hung around 75% of target
A crowdfunder getting fans to pay for legal bills on Kneecap member Mo Chara’s terror case has been extended after donations slowed to a comparative crawl – threatening it with failure.
The CrowdJustice appeal, which Kneecap has stated was set up by “some friends” to “take on the British witch-hunt”, aims to get at least £30,000 to pay for lawyers for the rapper, real name Liam Og O hAnnaidh.
Launched last month, it initially looked like a huge success, raking in more than £19,000 over its first few days around the time of O hAnnaidh’s first appearance at Westminster Magistrates Court in mid-June.
But then donations slowed. In the appeal’s first few days around 750 fans threw cash at the band, but over the next three weeks only about 150 more joined them.
Originally due to finish this weekend, by Tuesday (9th) the appeal was sitting under £22,300 – and if the crowdfunder doesn’t hit £30,000 by the time its deadline runs out, Kneecap won’t get any of the cash.
Even the Belfast rap trio’s headline-hitting appearance at the Glastonbury Festival at the end of June didn’t shift the needle to any real extent, as pledges continued to trickle in and leave the appeal with less than 75% of its target as the clock ticked down.
With just a few days left, on Tuesday afternoon the people behind the crowdfunder quietly extended the deadline, giving an extra three weeks for fans to chip in and pay for the arena-selling act’s bills. The appeal is now due to finish in the first week of August.
The people behind the appeal state the money raised will “help cover legal fees and experts skilled in handling complex cases sensitive to artistic and free speech rights”.
Kneecap, whose best known songs include ‘Get Your Brits Out’ and the drug-referencing ‘3CAG’, are described in the cash drive as “by their very existence bold and provocative, prompting necessary conversations around political and social issues”.
O hAnnaidh is currently out on bail accused of supporting banned organisation Hezbollah, stemming from an incident on stage in London eight months ago.
His next court appearance comes on August 20, during a gap in a busy month of shows for Kneecap. Over the previous fortnight the act are due to perform at a host of festivals in Europe, as well putting in a high-profile support slot for Irish post-punk band Fontaines DC in Manchester; the court date is followed by another European festival and another Fontaines DC support, this time in Belfast.
The Belfast trio claim the charge is part of attempts to silence them over their stance on Israel, and have been taking pre-orders for merchandise with the slogan ‘Free Mo Chara’.
Campaign group Love Music Hate Racism plans to stage a rally outside Westminster Magistrates Court on August 20, which is to include musician Nadine Shah, People Before Profit MLA Gerry Carroll, Dublin rock band Gurriers and Irish rapper Maverick Sabre.
Originally announced last month, the campaigners have now unveiled extra names and say they will be will be “bringing West Holts to Westminster”, referring to the stage Kneecap played at last month’s Glastonbury.
During that performance Kneecap appeared to invite fans to riot outside the court, only to backtrack and insist they only want “love and support”.