Kneecap rapper in court on terrorism charge over Hezbollah flag
He arrived at Westminster Magistrates' Court in central London with other band members with a sea of supporters brandishing banners and chanting "Free Palestine".
Wednesday's hearing is expected to deal with legal arguments on whether the charge falls outside a six-month time limit.
Since the Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah was banned in the UK in 2019, it has been an offence to show any support for it.
In recent months, Kneecap has grabbed headlines for provocative statements denouncing the war in Gaza and against Israel.
The hearing comes amid a growing UK controversy over government moves to prosecute those deemed to show support for banned organisations.
More than 700 people have been arrested, mostly at demonstrations, since the Palestine Action group was outlawed in early July under the Terrorism Act 2000.
The government ban on Palestine Action came into force days after it took responsibility for a break-in at an air force base in southern England that caused an estimated £7.0 million ($9.3 million) of damage to two aircraft.
The group said its activists were responding to Britain's indirect military support for Israel during the war in Gaza.
Supporting a proscribed group is a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison.
Provocative
There has been huge support for Kneecap and O'Hanna, Liam Og O hAnnaidh in Gaelic, by the band's fans since his first court appearance in June.
Mary Hobbs, 31, from Belfast told AFP on Wednesday: "I'm glad I could make it. I took a day off just to be here."
"The charges are ludicrous, ludicrous. The justice system is just broken when you have things like this happening."
Prosecutor Michael Bisgrove told the previous hearing the case was "not about Mr O'Hanna's support for the people of Palestine or his criticism of Israel".
"He is well within his rights to voice his opinions and his solidarity," Bisgrove said.
Instead, the prosecutor said, the case was about O'Hanna wearing and displaying "the flag of Hezbollah, a proscribed terrorist organisation, while allegedly saying 'Up Hamas, up Hezbollah'".
The raucous punk-rap group has denied the accusations and said the video that led to the charge was taken out of context.
"We massively appreciate the support of what we know are the majority of the public, who can see this farce for what it is," the group said Tuesday in a post on X.
And they urged supporters to comply with police security arrangements outside the court.
Daring provocateurs to their fans, dangerous extremists to their detractors, the group's members rap in the Irish language as well as English.
Last year, the group was catapulted to international fame by a semi-fictional film based on them that scooped multiple awards including at the Sundance festival.
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Kneecap member Mo Chara – real name Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh – was greeted by hundreds of fans and supporters as he arrived for his second court appearance at Westminster Magistrates' Court today. Fans held signs which read 'Free Mo Chara', while others waved Palestine and Irish flags and chanted 'Free, free Mo Chara.' He was also joined by his bandmates Naoise Ó Cairealláin and J. J. Ó Dochartaigh. Prosecutors allege the 27-year-old displayed a flag in support of proscribed terror organisation Hezbollah at a gig in London in November last year. During the three-hour hearing, his defence team argued the case should be thrown out, citing a technical error. Defence counsel Brenda Campbell KC told the court that the Attorney General had not given permission for the case to be brought against the defendant when police informed him he was to face a terror charge on 21 May. However, Prosecutor Michael Bisgrove said permission was not required until the defendant's first court appearance. Chief magistrate Paul Goldspring said the case was adjourned. Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh has yet to enter a plea but denied wrongdoing. He has once again been released on unconditional bail (similarly to his first court appearance in June) and now faces a month-long wait to find out whether his terrorism charge will be thrown out. He will appear in court again on 26 September. Speaking outside the courts today, Mo Chara thanked supporters for coming and said: 'We know this story is more than just about me. It's more than Kneecap; this is a story about Palestine and us as a distraction from the real story." He added: 'We know, unfortunately, this story will end up in the media today, while Israel commits genocide at the same time. So, everybody, continue to speak about Palestine. Free Palestine.' On Tuesday evening, the Metropolitan Police issued Public Order Act conditions for today's court date. The conditions were being enacted to 'prevent serious disruption being caused by a protest' outside the court, stated the Metropolitan Police. Kneecap reacted to these Public Order Act conditions, writing on X: 'We massively appreciate the support of what we know are the majority of the public, who can see this farce for what it is. It is a distraction from war crimes that the British State support. In our view this police action is designed to try and portray support for Kneecap as somehow troublesome.' Their post continued: 'It is a calculated political decision the night before Mo Chara's court appearance. There is no basis for this, our last hearing was entirely peaceful and a loving show of solidarity with the most disruptive attendees the right wing media. We know all of our supporters will be, but please go out of your way to be compliant with all instructions issued, irrespective of how pitiful. Free Palestine.'
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7 hours ago
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Kneecap rapper in court on terrorism charge over Hezbollah flag
Liam O'Hanna, 27, who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, was charged in May accused of displaying a Hezbollah flag during a London concert in November. He arrived at Westminster Magistrates' Court in central London with other band members with a sea of supporters brandishing banners and chanting "Free Palestine". Wednesday's hearing is expected to deal with legal arguments on whether the charge falls outside a six-month time limit. Since the Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah was banned in the UK in 2019, it has been an offence to show any support for it. In recent months, Kneecap has grabbed headlines for provocative statements denouncing the war in Gaza and against Israel. The hearing comes amid a growing UK controversy over government moves to prosecute those deemed to show support for banned organisations. More than 700 people have been arrested, mostly at demonstrations, since the Palestine Action group was outlawed in early July under the Terrorism Act 2000. The government ban on Palestine Action came into force days after it took responsibility for a break-in at an air force base in southern England that caused an estimated £7.0 million ($9.3 million) of damage to two aircraft. The group said its activists were responding to Britain's indirect military support for Israel during the war in Gaza. Supporting a proscribed group is a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison. Provocative There has been huge support for Kneecap and O'Hanna, Liam Og O hAnnaidh in Gaelic, by the band's fans since his first court appearance in June. Mary Hobbs, 31, from Belfast told AFP on Wednesday: "I'm glad I could make it. I took a day off just to be here." "The charges are ludicrous, ludicrous. The justice system is just broken when you have things like this happening." Prosecutor Michael Bisgrove told the previous hearing the case was "not about Mr O'Hanna's support for the people of Palestine or his criticism of Israel". "He is well within his rights to voice his opinions and his solidarity," Bisgrove said. Instead, the prosecutor said, the case was about O'Hanna wearing and displaying "the flag of Hezbollah, a proscribed terrorist organisation, while allegedly saying 'Up Hamas, up Hezbollah'". The raucous punk-rap group has denied the accusations and said the video that led to the charge was taken out of context. "We massively appreciate the support of what we know are the majority of the public, who can see this farce for what it is," the group said Tuesday in a post on X. And they urged supporters to comply with police security arrangements outside the court. Daring provocateurs to their fans, dangerous extremists to their detractors, the group's members rap in the Irish language as well as English. Last year, the group was catapulted to international fame by a semi-fictional film based on them that scooped multiple awards including at the Sundance festival.
