Kneecap's Mo Chara released on unconditional bail until next hearing
Liam Ó hAnnaidh, better known by his stage name Mo Chara and a member of the Belfast-based rap group Kneecap, appeared in London court this morning accused of displaying a Hezbollah flag during a live performance at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town on November 21, 2024.
The 27-year-old rapper is also alleged to have shouted 'up Hamas, up Hezbollah' during the same gig. Kneecap band member Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, arrives at Westminster Magistrates' Court. Pic:During the hearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court, prosecutor Michael Bisgrove clarified the scope of the case, telling the court: 'This case is not about Mr hAnnaidh's support for the people of Palestine or his criticism of Israel.'
He added that Ó hAnnaidh is: 'well within his rights' to express his support and solidarity for Palestinians. Naoise Ó Cairealláin, known as Móglaí Bap, arrives at Westminister Magistrates' Court. Pic: Jordan Pettitt/PA Wire
Dressed in a dark zip-up jacket and trousers, Ó hAnnaidh spoke only briefly to confirm his identity at the start of the proceedings.
He was granted unconditional bail and is scheduled to return to court on August 20, when legal arguments will be addressed.
Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring informed him that attendance at the next hearing is mandatory. Supporters of Kneecap's Liam Og O Hannaidh outside Westminster Magistrates' Court in London. Pic: Jordan Pettitt/PA Wire/PA Images
After the brief hearing, Ó hAnnaidh received a round of applause as he left the courtroom.
Outside, hundreds of fans and journalists had gathered, pressing up against the doors of the court building in anticipation. Supporters of Kneecap's Liam Og O Hannaidh outside Westminster Magistrates' Court in London. Pic: Jordan Pettitt/PA Wire/PA Images
He was seen entering a side room for discussions with his legal team before departing the building.
Shortly after, all three members of Kneecap, Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, Naoise Ó Cairealláin, and JJ Ó Dochartaigh, exited Westminster Magistrates' Court to loud cheers and chants of 'Free Palestine' from a large crowd of supporters.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Times
3 hours ago
- Irish Times
Kneecap case: ‘A woman pointed to a sniggering Móglaí Bap as the magistrate asked if anyone knew an Irish interpreter'
For supporters of Belfast rap trio Kneecap it was, as the handwritten sign slapped on the wall of Westminster Magistrates Court surmised, a 'grand day out for the parish'. Hundreds of the band's fans and a noisy legion of pro-Palestinian activists, many of them Irish, waved Tricolours and thronged the front of the court on Wednesday morning in advance of a hearing in the case of band member Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh. The regular court reporters said they had never witnessed a scene like it. 'It's never been this doolally, not even when they held the Julian Assange case here,' said one. Ó hAnnaidh, whose stage name is Mo Chara, was charged under UK antiterrorism legislation with showing support for a proscribed organisation. READ MORE It was alleged he draped himself in a Hizbullah flag at a London gig last November and shouted 'up Hamas, up Hizbullah', referring to the Palestinian and Lebanese militant groups respectively. Ó hAnnaidh did not enter a plea and was released on bail, as the case was adjourned in advance of a hearing on August 20th over the court's jurisdiction to hear the case. Meanwhile, the crowd outside the court spilt out on to Marylebone Road as musicians and supporters of the rapper set up a makeshift stage at the door for an impromptu gig in the sunshine. Strains of Aslan's Crazy World and the Waterboys' Fisherman's Blues rolled through the warm air in the streets of the fashionable west London district. Inside the court building, things were also hotting up. Harried court staff seemed stunned by the size of the crowd that had descended. Journalists jostled for the Willy Wonka golden tickets distributed for seats in the small press area of Court Number 1, where Ó hAnnaidh was due to appear before a magistrate. It was near bedlam. His case was listed for 10am but it was almost 11am before it got going as court staff wrangled the crowds. Most remained outside the courthouse. A long queue formed outside Court 1 – just 30 would be allowed into the public gallery as reporters wailed for more tickets. One elderly Irish woman wearing a Palestinian keffiyeh around her neck said she had left home at 3am to get to the airport to fly over. Film-maker Jim Sheridan was among those in the first-floor lobby seeking entry to the hearing. He told The Irish Times that he was a friend of Ó hAnnaidh – 'a lovely lad' – and he was there to defend freedom of speech. Sinn Féin Westminster MPs John Finucane and Paul Maskey also showed up. A rumour also went around that veteran musician Paul Weller was outside, but nobody outside the court had actually seen him. Ó hAnnaidh, dressed in black, and other Kneecap members showed up just after 10am. DJ Próvaí, real name JJ Ó Dochartaigh, had removed his trademark Tricolour balaclava for the occasion. Pro- Palestine chants echoed up the stairs from the crowd below. Ó hAnnaidh sat alone in the dock as the magistrate in the juryless court confirmed his name and address. His legal team, led by barrister Brenda Campbell, suggested to the magistrate that the charge on which Ó hAnnaidh had been brought before the court was a day beyond a six-month statute of limitations. If accepted this would have ended the case on the spot, the magistrate said. The prosecution, led by Michael Bisgrove, said they would contest that the charge was out of date and a hearing was fixed for August 20th on this issue. If after that the case still goes ahead, Ó hAnnaidh will enter a plea. If – and he has already indicated publicly that he will fight the charge – he pleads not guilty, then a trial will take place at a later date. Ó hAnnaidh's legal team indicated that the rapper, whose band performs partly in Irish, might need an Irish interpreter for the trial. The magistrate said the court had so far been unable to find one. 'If anyone knows of one….' he said, his voice trailing off. A woman in the public gallery could be heard laughing as she pointed at Ó hAnnaidh's bandmates. Kneecap rapper Móglaí Bap, real name Naoise Ó Cairealláin, put his head in his hands and sniggered. 'I think we will manage in English' for the August hearing of legal argument, said Campbell. The magistrate promised to have an Irish interpreter for later hearings and adjourned the case. There was more bedlam and a crush outside as Ó hAnnaidh and his bandmates emerged from the courthouse. Watching police stood back as red smoke flares were let off. After a few words reasserting support for Palestine, Ó hAnnaidh proceeded down the street. The crowd thinned and plush Marylebone started to get back to normal.
The Irish Sun
4 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
‘Stop before someone seriously hurt' plea as petrol bombs & missiles hurled at cops during 2nd night of Derry disorder
A LOCAL MP in Derry has pleaded with people to "stop causing havoc" after a second night of disorder yesterday. It is understood two Catholic boys were allegedly attacked in April, with ongoing issues across 1 Colum Eastwood is begging parents to have sit down conversations with their children Credit: Brian Lawless/PA Wire These tensions erupted in violent disorder with large crowds gathering in areas across the city on Monday and Tuesday night. The Missiles were also thrown as part of the unrest outside a facility for the elderly in the area. An 18-year-old and a 13-year-old were arrested on Monday night on suspicion of riotous behaviour. READ MORE IN NEWS Both were later released. Colum Eastwood MP is now pleading with young people to avoid getting sucked into violence that will "haunt" them as he slammed the recent disorder. He also pleaded with parents to prevent their children engaging in antisocial behavior and have sit down conversations with their children about the violence seen across Mr Eastwood said: "For the second night in a row young people put themselves and others in danger around Nailor's Row. MOST READ ON THE IRISH SUN "It's the last thing that anyone in the city wants or needs and it needs to stop before someone is seriously hurt or worse. Yobs hurl petrol bombs, fireworks and bottles at cops in FIFTH night of riots as chaos spreads to new town 'Elderly people living in nearby Alexander House were left worried and distressed about what was happening around their homes. They don't want or deserve that. 'The last thing that any of us wants is for young people in Derry to throw away their futures for a moment of madness. "I'm urging parents to sit down with their kids today, talk to them about this and about the violence across the North over the last week. "Explain to them the impact that it has on our community, the danger they're putting themselves in and the serious risk that a criminal conviction will follow and have a lasting impact on their lives. 'There is a lot of good community work going on to minimise disorder. I know there are first class outreach and engagement workers that are trying to give young people an alternative to this. "It's really important that we invest in those projects and provide people in the city with the tools to divert young people from this kind of future.' 'AVOID THE AREA' Police warned people to avoid the area last night as the disorder broke out for the second night. In a statement they said: "Police are dealing with ongoing disorder in the Nailors Row area of Derry / Londonderry this evening, Tuesday June 17. 'A number of missiles, including masonry and petrol bombs, have been thrown towards officers. "We would ask motorists and pedestrians to avoid the area until further notice." BALLYMENA RIOTS The disorder in Derry comes just days after almost a The unrelated disorder 2,500 people gathered after a teenage girl was allegedly the victim of a serious sexual assault last weekend. The crowd had initially gathered to support the family of the girl but violence broke out later in the evening, with homes being smashed in and missiles thrown through the windows. Several people were arrested and are due in court, with police requesting public help identifying further suspects. It is reported 64 officers were injured amid the
The Irish Sun
4 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Taoiseach Micheal Martin's office vandalised with red paint amid details of ‘intimidatory & abusive' personal threats
THE office of Taoiseach Micheál Martin has been vandalised, the third such attack in weeks. The attack took place last night at the Taoiseach's constituency office in Turner's Cross on the Southside of 2 Taioseach Micheal Martin has received personal threats to his office Credit: Cillian Sherlock/PA Wire 2 The Taoiseach's constituency office was vandalised with paint last night Credit: Collect The window of the office was daubed with the words 'Zionist pawn' in black paint. Red paint was used to deface the door and walls of the building. It comes after personal threats were previously made against the A spokesperson for Mr Martin's office told us: "I can confirm there was an act of vandalism on the constituency office last night. This is the third such attack. READ MORE IRISH NEWS "Personal threats have also previously been sent to the office, warning the Taoiseach it will be made impossible for him to navigate in public spaces. "This is a working office with constituency staff acting on a daily basis to support the community on various issues. 'Those responsible for the criminal acts and intimidatory and abusive threats are fundamentally anti-democratic." The spokesperson added: "We believe the vast majority of people who are appalled by the situation in Gaza would have nothing to do with such actions." MOST READ ON THE IRISH SUN A poster was also pinned to the door of the office. It claimed the Irish Government has been "complicit in the apartheid, occupation and genocide of the Palestinian people inflicted by Israel." Technical experts were in attendance today and were collecting evidence at the site. The office has a number of CCTV cameras and Gardai have collected footage and are examining this, hoping it will lead to an early arrest.
