A London judge delivered a significant ruling on Friday, dismissing a terrorism charge brought against a member of the acclaimed Irish-language rap collective, Kneecap. The court determined that prosecutors had failed to present the charge ‘in the correct form’ within the stipulated legal timeframe.
The charge, initially filed in May by British prosecutors, accused the rapper Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, known professionally as Mo Chara, of displaying a flag associated with Hezbollah. Hezbollah, a militant group based in Lebanon, is officially recognized as a terrorist organization by Britain, making the public display of its symbols illegal under UK law.
In earlier interviews, Mr. Ó hAnnaidh, who was formally charged under the name Liam O’Hanna, maintained his innocence, explaining that he unknowingly picked up the flag at a concert last year after it was thrown onto the stage by an audience member.
Presiding Judge Paul Goldspring ultimately sided with Mr. Ó hAnnaidh’s defense team, who successfully argued in previous hearings that the prosecution had initiated legal action beyond the established statute of limitations.
Despite primarily performing in Irish, Kneecap’s popularity has exploded among English-speaking audiences over the past year. This surge is largely attributed to a popular comedy film chronicling the band’s formation, coupled with the rappers’ outspoken pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel commentary during their performances.
The group boasts an impressive 1.4 million monthly listeners on Spotify. Just last week, they played to a sold-out crowd of 12,500 in London, where massive screens prominently displayed messages like ‘Free Palestine’ alongside other anti-Israel sentiments.
However, the band’s vocal stance on Middle Eastern issues has frequently landed them in contentious situations. In April, Kneecap lost its U.S. visa sponsorship following anti-Israel comments made at California’s Coachella festival. Subsequently, in August, they canceled a planned U.S. tour, which included two sold-out performances at New York’s Rooftop at Pier 17.
The group is already prohibited from entering Hungary. Furthermore, last week, Canadian authorities also denied entry to Kneecap members, scuttling a planned tour set to begin October 14 in Toronto. Vince Gasparro, Canada’s parliamentary secretary for reducing crime, publicly stated that Kneecap had ‘amplified political violence’ and ‘publicly displayed support for terrorist organizations.’
In response, Kneecap announced on social media that they intend to pursue legal action against Mr. Gasparro, calling his remarks ‘wholly untrue and deeply malicious.’ Their statement emphasized their resolve to ‘be relentless in defending ourselves against baseless accusations to silence our opposition to genocide being committed in Israel.’
This London court decision marks the band’s second recent legal triumph. In July, police in southwestern England concluded an investigation into comments made by band members during Britain’s largest music festival, Glastonbury. While specific remarks were not detailed by the police, the band had openly declared ‘Israel are war criminals’ at the event and led the massive audience in chants of ‘Free, free, Palestine.’