A London judge on Friday dismissed a terrorism charge against Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, better known as Mo Chara from the Irish-language rap group Kneecap. The charge was dropped because prosecutors failed to bring it “in the correct form” within the legally required timeframe. The group has been notable for its outspoken advocacy for Palestine during their performances.
British prosecutors had initially charged Mo Chara in May, alleging he displayed a flag of Hezbollah, a Lebanon-based militant group considered a terrorist organization by Britain. Ó hAnnaidh, who was formally charged under the name Liam O’Hanna, stated in interviews that he unknowingly picked up the flag after an audience member threw it onto the stage last year.
Presiding Judge Paul Goldspring sided with Ó hAnnaidh’s legal team, agreeing that the prosecution had exceeded the statute of limitations and that legal officials had not approved the charges promptly.
Ó hAnnaidh, a fervent advocate for both a united Ireland and the Palestinian cause, arrived at the court wearing a balaclava in the colors of the Irish flag. He removed it before entering the courtroom, where he sat composed in the witness box, adorned with a black and white kaffiyeh. He remained stoic as the judge delivered the ruling, which was met with cheers from Kneecap supporters in the public gallery.
Immediately following the hearing, Ó hAnnaidh addressed a gathering of supporters outside the courthouse on a makeshift stage. “This entire process was never about me, never about any threat to the public, never about terrorism,” he declared. “It was always about Gaza, about what happens if you dare to speak up.”
He further asserted, “If anyone on this planet is guilty of terrorism, it’s the British state.”
Pádraig Ó Tiarnaigh, 36, a Kneecap supporter from Belfast, expressed his hope that the verdict would inspire other artists and musicians to advocate for Palestinians. “We’re delighted for Kneecap, and it shines a spotlight on the British establishment trying to silence artists and activists who are calling for an end to the genocide in Palestine,” he commented.
Conversely, the ruling was met with disappointment by some Jewish and pro-Israel organizations. The Campaign Against Antisemitism, which had previously reported a video of Ó hAnnaidh with the Hezbollah flag to Britain’s counterterrorism police, criticized the outcome as a display of “utter incompetence by the authorities.” Their emailed statement further claimed that Britain’s criminal justice system was “incapable of protecting” Jewish people if it couldn’t prosecute such a case effectively.
Despite rapping primarily in Irish, Kneecap’s popularity has significantly grown among English-speaking audiences, partly due to a recently released comedy film detailing the band’s formation.
The group boasts over 1.4 million monthly listeners on Spotify and recently performed a sold-out 12,500-capacity show in London, where they displayed “Free Palestine” and other anti-Israel messages on large stage screens.
Their outspoken stance on the Middle East has led to several challenges. In April, the band lost its U.S. visa sponsor following anti-Israel comments made at Coachella. In August, they cancelled a planned U.S. tour, which included two sold-out New York shows.
Kneecap is also barred from entering Hungary, and last week, Canada’s government denied them entry, disrupting a scheduled October 14 tour start in Toronto. Vince Gasparro, Canada’s parliamentary secretary for reducing crime, stated in a video that Kneecap had “amplified political violence” and “publicly displayed support for terrorist organizations.”
In response, Kneecap announced on Instagram their intent to pursue legal action against Gasparro for his “wholly untrue and deeply malicious” comments. They vowed 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 at Glastonbury, Britain’s largest music festival. Although specific comments weren’t detailed by the police, the band had reportedly declared “Israel are war criminals” and led the massive crowd in chants of “Free, free, Palestine.”