Kneecap's legal team for court battle to include Julian Assange lawyer
Rapper O hAnnaidh, who performs under the name Mo Chara, will be represented by a team that includes Gareth Peirce, solicitor for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange during his fight against US extradition, and Rosalind Comyn, who has represented Extinction Rebellion protesters in court.
The 27-year-old was charged by postal requisition over the alleged display of a Hezbollah flag at a gig at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town, north London, in November last year.
His legal team also includes Darragh Mackin from Phoenix Law, Brenda Campbell KC, Jude Bunting KC and Blinne Ni Ghralaigh KC.
Mr Mackin was the solicitor for Sarah Ewart, whose successful legal challenge helped to usher in the decriminalisation of abortion in Northern Ireland, while Ms Campbell was the defence barrister in the collapsed case against Seamus Daly, who was accused of murdering people in the IRA bomb attack in Omagh in 1998.
Mr Bunting acted for non-profit company Liberty in the Stansted 15's successful conviction appeal after they broke into Stansted Airport to stop a plane deporting people to Africa, which was a case Ms Ni Ghralaigh also worked on.
In an Instagram post the group said: 'The British establishment is conducting a campaign against Kneecap which is to be fought in Westminster Magistrates Court… We are ready for this fight. We are proud to have such a strong legal team with us.'
In May, the Metropolitan Police said Kneecap were being investigated by counter-terrorism police after videos emerged allegedly showing the band calling for the deaths of MPs and shouting 'up Hamas, up Hezbollah'.
They apologised to the families of murdered MPs but said footage of the incident had been 'exploited and weaponised'.
They also said they have 'never supported' Hamas or Hezbollah, which are banned in the UK.
In 2024, the band released an eponymous film starring Oscar-nominated actor Michael Fassbender which is a fictionalised retelling of how the band came together and follows the Belfast group on their mission to save their mother tongue through music.
Formed in 2017, the group, made up of O hAnnaidh, Naoise O Caireallain and JJ O Dochartaigh, are known for their provocative lyrics and merchandise as well as their championing of the Irish language.
Their best-known tracks include Get Your Brits Out, Better Way To Live, featuring Grian Chatten from Fontaines DC, and 3Cag.
O hAnnaidh is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on June 18.
His lawyers have been approached for comment.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Herald Scotland
an hour ago
- The Herald Scotland
Scots icon revered in Manchester just loved beating England
Elegant but belligerent, acrobatic but accurate, charismatic and courageous, he'd dive down among flailing boots – anything for a goal. Including bicycle kicks, of which he was a pioneer. Iconic (oops!) photos showed him leaping higher than clouds. His trademark of sleeve-covered hands was copied by wee boys up and down the land, though its cause was purely practical: 'My nose was always running.' Star of Manchester United, Manchester City and Scotland, he's the only Scottish player to have won the Ballon d'Or. Dubbed 'The King', 'Lawman' and 'Denis the Menace', he was part of the famous United Trinity, with Bobby Charlton and George Best. A 'pauper who became 'the King'', as a Herald obituary put it, Denis Law was born in Aberdeen on 24 February 1940 to Robina and George Law, a trawlerman who didn't much like football. In a granite council flat two miles from Pittodrie, some of the seven children slept 'three to a bed in Aberdeen and no pyjamas'. It was 'the classic spartan Scottish upbringing of the time', Law recalled. Clothes on tick, comb-and-paper music, a Dinky car and a tangerine for Christmas. Barefoot until he was 12, he wore hand-me-down shoes throughout adolescence. At 16, he got his first football boots, a second-hand birthday present from a neighbour. He supported Aberdeen and watched them when he'd enough money. Eschewed Aberdeen Grammar, because it played rugby, he attended Powis Academy instead. A bad squint earned him the nickname 'Cockeye', but he showed promise on the pitch and was selected for Scotland Schoolboys. TRIAL BY LAW SOON, he was spotted by a scout for second division Huddersfield Town, who invited the youngster to a trial ('12 bloody hours' by train from Aberdeen). At Huddersfield station, a club official greeted the small, slim, speccy 15-year-old: 'You're Law? Really?' The manager declared: 'The boy's a freak. Never did I see a less likely football prospect – weak, puny and bespectacled.' Still, they signed him on a wage of £4 a week (leaving £1 after digs and sending money home). They also got him an operation to correct his squint, enhancing his self-confidence. On his debut, Huddersfield's youngest ever player at 16, he scored in a 2–1 win over Notts County. Manchester United manager Matt Busby tried buying him for £10,000 (£300,000-odd today)] but Huddersfield turned him down. Later Huddersfield manager Bill Shankly wanted to take him to Liverpool with him, but the Merseyside giants couldn't afford him. Changed days. In 1960, Law signed for Manchester City for a then British record fee of £55,000 (about 1.7 million squids today), of which Law saw though 'precisely nothing'. He scored on his debut against Leeds but excelled himself with six goals in a cup tie against Luton. However, the match was abandoned with 20 minutes to go, so his six goals didn't count. Luton won the replay 3–1, Law scoring City's a year at Maine Road, he was sold to Italian club Torino for – yep – another British record of £110,000 (3 million-odd today). Crowds at Torino airport greeted him like a movie star, but Italy was a culture shock: luxury hotels, medical attention, sports science (though the captain smoked a pipe), obsessive media. And big money, though it was performance-related: feast or football was (is) dull, joyless, ultra-defensive. Denis was heavily marked and aggressively tackled. Soon, he put in a transfer request, which was ignored. He left anyway, flying home to Aberdeen and signing for Manchester United for – all together now – a new British record fee of £115,000. Not that Torino had been a complete waste of time. He returned with a range of operatic gestures, 'along with a liking for pink shirts and Pinot Noir'. Back in Manchester, Law boarded with the same landlady as before. He scored a hat-trick in a 5–0 win against his old club Huddersfield and the first goal against Leicester as United won 3–1 in the only FA Cup final of his career. He finished season 1963-4 with 46 goals, still a club record, and scored 28 the following season as Man U won the league. In 1968, United won the European Cup for the first time, but a recurrent sair knee meant Law missed the match and, indeed, almost all of season 1969-70. AMBITIOUS GOALS AFTER 11 years at United, during which he'd scored 237 goals in 404 games – placing him third in the club's history, behind Wayne Rooney and Bobby Charlton – Law signed for Manchester City the last game of the 1973-74 season, City played United, who were fighting relegation. On the 81st minute, Law back-heeled one in for City but refused to celebrate. As it turned out, his angst was academic. Other results means United were going down much for club football. Law's greatest love was pulling on a Scotland shirt – 'most of all against England'. His 'blackest day' was playing in a 9-3 defeat to the Auld Enemy in 1961. His happiest day was scoring in Scotland's famous 3–2 victory less than a year after England had become world champions in 1966 – a game Law didn't watch, playing golf instead. READ MORE: Robert McNeil: I detest yon Romans but I dig excavating their wee fortlets RAB MCNEIL'S SCOTTISH ICONS: John Knox – the fiery preacher whose pal got burnt at the stake Rab McNeil: All this talk about celebs and their neuroses is getting on my nerves In the 1974 World Cup, Law played in Scotland's first match against Zaire. It was to be his last. Scotland won 2-0 but he didn't score and was "very disappointed" not to be picked for the following matches against Brazil and Yugoslavia. He had played for Scotland 55 times and holds the country's record tally of 30 goals jointly with Kenny Dalglish. So much for posterity, which has deservedly been kind to him. In 2016, he became a CBE, taking command of the British Empire. And there are statues: two at Old Trafford and two in Aberdeen. At an unveiling in his home city in 2012, he choked back tears as he declared: 'I will always be an Aberdonian.' At the unveiling of a second city statue at Marischal Square in 2021, legendary Aberdeen and Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson told the crowd: 'He was the greatest Scots player of all time, no question.'
Glasgow Times
2 hours ago
- Glasgow Times
Keltic Storm brings Ultimate Irish Hooley to Airdrie
Billed as the Ultimate Irish Hooley, the event at Airdrie Town Hall on August 2 is promising a night of high-octane music, comedy sketches, and traditional Irish reels and jigs. With an all-star cast of musicians, legendary Irish songs and party anthems from artists like The Pogues, The Dubliners, Christy Moore, Van Morrison, and Thin Lizzy are all expected to grace the evening's festivities. Read more: No trains to run on part of major Glasgow railway line this weekend Why this pub with a 'mind-blowing' selection of whiskies is Glasgow's top-rated Brand-new food spot to open 'first' of its kind drive-thru in Glasgow A surprise performance from a Donegal artist is also expected to be part of the event. The event starts at 7.30pm. For tickets and further details, contact the box office on 01698 274545 or visit the website
Daily Mirror
2 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
The film that shot Cillian Murphy to fame is airing on TV tonight
The film that Peaky Blinders star Cillian Murphy credits as his breakthrough role is airing on TV tonight - as the much anticipated sequel is set to be released in cinema soon Peaky Blinders fans can prepare to watch fan favourite Cillian Murphy onscreen tonight - although they may not hear his Brummy accent. The star was already an established actor before the hit show, however, the drama significantly boosted his profile when it first aired in 2013. Now, fans will be able to see the star 11 years prior to the show, as movie 28 Days Later airs on BBC One tonight. Fans will be able to catch the Horror/Sci-fi movie on the box at 10.30pm tonight (Sunday June 15) just after the news - with it wrapping up at 0.15am. The movie is set 28 days after a killer virus is accidentally unleashed from a British research facility. It follows a small group of London survivors, who are caught in a desperate struggle to protect themselves from the infected. Cillian Murphy stars in the lead role as Jim, a survivor of the Rage Virus. He starts off as a bicycle courier in the movie, with a nasty fall landing him in hospital. However, people with the Rage Virus overan London, and as hospital staff fled to escape, Jim was locked into a secure room. He later woke from his coma 28 days later in an abandoned hospital. Also starring alongside Cillian in the film is Naomie Harris, Christopher Eccleston and Alex Palmer. The film airing on BBC One comes shortly before the release of the second film in the series, 28 Years Later. Set almost three decades after the first movie offering, released in 2002, some have found ways to exist amidst the infected. Fans were curious as to whether they'd see Cillian in the role - although, it's bad news as character Jim won't be making an appearance in the movie. However, fans can look forward to a potential return for the star in the third instalment, due to be released in 2026. Earlier this year, producer Andrew Macdonald, confirmed to EW would not return to the movie in an onscreen capacity. It doesn't mean a no forever, though - as director Danny Boyle hinted at a return during the ending of its 2026 sequel, The Bone Temple. 'He is in the second one,' Danny Boyle told IGN. 'I shouldn't give away too much. I'll get killed.' 'All I can say is you have to wait for Cillian, but hopefully he will help us get the third film financed,' he later told Business Insider. Cillian has spoken highly about his role on the movie crediting it for being his "breakthrough role". At the time, he was just 26 years old.
