Kneecap rapper in UK court over alleged support for terror group
This will be his second appearance at the Westminster Magistrates Court for the Irish rapper, following an appearance on 18 June, after which he was released on unconditional bail.
Today's court proceedings will see fellow artists appear in support of Kneecap, reportedly including Nadine Shah and Maverick Sabre.
Kneecap have been vocal supporters of Palestine in the Israel-Gaza conflict and sparked controversy for their repeated and defiant pro-Palestinian support during concerts and festivals. They have consistently denied supporting either Hamas or Hezbollah.
Many supporters and fans for both Kneecap and Palestine appeared at Westminster Magistrates Court in June, and this has prompted the Metropolitan Police to issue Public Order Act conditions for today's court date.
The conditions are 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.'
Prior to the Metropolitan Police issuing the Public Order Act conditions, Kneecap shared another statement regarding Mo Chara's last court appearance in June.
'Since his last court appearance Israel has murdered another 9,000 Palestinians, mainly children and women,' Kneecap wrote. 'Over 1,000 murdered whilst queuing for aid, starved due to their siege, whilst pitiful amounts of aid delivered by a sham agency controlled by Israel. Young children gunned down by snipers as they scramble for a bag of flour. Whole families, from babies to grandparents, murdered as they huddled in makeshift tents.'
The band described the situation as 'evil beyond any f*cking words' and urged people to 'come down and show your support / solidarity outside the court' today.
They ended their statement with: 'British courts have long charged people from the North of Ireland with 'terrorism' for crimes never committed. We will fight them. We will win.'
Kneecap were supposed to be headlining the last night of this year's Sziget music festival but ended up being banned not just from the event but from Hungary for three years.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán announced last month that the trio were deemed a 'national security threat' and officially banned from entering Hungary for 'anti-Semitism and glorifying terror'.
Still, that didn't stop the band from getting their voices heard loud and clear. Read more about it here.
Stay tuned to Euronews Culture for more updates from today's court appearance.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
France 24
4 hours ago
- France 24
France questions online violence after streamer's live death
01:50 20/08/2025 Irish rap group Kneecap at court for waving Hezbollah flag on stage 20/08/2025 Under Geneva Convention, Russia has no automatic claim to territory simply by virtue of occupying it Europe 20/08/2025 Israel set to approve settlement project that could divide the West Bank 20/08/2025 Miss Palestine to compete in Miss Universe pageant for the first time Middle East 20/08/2025 Could keratin help heal tooth problems? 20/08/2025 Israel defence minister approves plan to conquer Gaza City Middle East 20/08/2025 Mexico uses drones to boost reforestation 20/08/2025 What's inside Israeli plan to conquer Gaza City ? 20/08/2025 Texas GOP unveils new congressional map
Euronews
5 hours ago
- Euronews
Terrorism case against Kneecap rapper Mo Chara adjourned by UK court
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.'
Fashion Network
5 hours ago
- Fashion Network
Topshop's first UK wholesale partner revealed -- it's Liberty
Topshop doesn't seem to have put a foot wrong as it's hit the comeback trail this year and following its headline-grabbing runway show at the weekend we now know the name of its first UK wholesale partner. It's high-end London department store Liberty. Not that the company released this news officially at first. Instead, an Instagram post shows a rail of Topshop clothing being wheeled along with a glimpse of a mock- Tudor building and a W1 postcode in the background. This could be no other store than Liberty, just off London's Regent Street. The company later confirmed the link-up with more information. The women's and men's collections launch there on 28 August with the companies saying that for Liberty, 'it reinforces a commitment to championing creativity, cultural relevance and emerging talent. For Topshop and Topman, it's a dynamic return to the high street — offering a new space for discovery, connection and style'. 'Through Topshop and Topman, we want to bring the best of fashion to everyone,' said Topshop MD Michelle Wilson. 'Liberty [is] a brand that shares our passion for creativity, nurturing talent and pushing boundaries. This launch is about reconnecting with our community in real life, and we're excited to kick things off with a full Liberty atrium takeover.' Meanwhile Liberty's buying and merchandising director, Lydia King, said: 'We've always been about discovery — curating the most exciting talent and ideas under one roof. Partnering with Topshop and Topman brings a new layer to that experience: it's a meeting point of two iconic British names, both with deep roots in London style, a stone's throw from Oxford Street. This residency celebrates the city's creativity and energy, offering our customers something unexpected. Which we love to do.' As well as the clothes, we're told 'the launch will feature immersive visualmoments throughout the Liberty atrium, celebrating the creative spirit and future-facing energy of both brands'. Being stocked in a prestige location like Liberty underlines Topshop's close London connections that are being emphasised in its relaunch. But it also underlines how much kudos the brand still has and how well the Topshop (and not forgetting Topman) comebacks are being managed by the team at ASOS. After all, Topshop has always been essentially a mass-market fashion brand (albeit a trend-led one) and its pricing means it still is, while the fashion labels available at Liberty are in a much higher price bracket. The company has also linked up with some strong international stockists including Irish department stores McElhinneys and Shaws, Printemps in France and Denmark's Magasin du Nord. As we said, it hasn't put a foot wrong so far from teaser campaigns to one-day pop-ups, a relaunched webstore, a Cara Delevingne collab and a Traflgar Square runway show. The hardest task comes next though — selling a large number of clothes. It's unclear how much information we'll get on how it's going on this front with the next set of ASOS results (due in mid-October) as the company now holds only a minority stake after selling control to Heartland, the investment vehicle of Bestseller 's owner. But with ASOS still managing the brand, fingers crossed it will be prepared to share what it must hope will be good news.
