Latest news with #BelfastHighCourt
Irish Examiner
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Kneecap announce new song ahead of headline performance at London's Wide Awake
Rap trio Kneecap have announced they will release a new song ahead of their headline performance at London's Wide Awake festival, just two days after one of their members was charged with a terror offence. The band, made up of Liam O hAnnaidh, Naoise O Caireallain and JJ O Dochartaigh, thanked the '25,000 legends' who will be attending Friday night's performance in a post on Instagram, while revealing the new song will be released at 1pm. The band's post read: 'Well well London heads. Some day coming up. 'We've a brand new track landing in our WhatsApp channel at 1pm. 'Kemi Badenoch you might wanna sit down for this one, if you've any seats left. 'Then we're at Wide Awake in Brockwell Park London for a headline show to 25,000 legends tonight.' British Conservative party leader Badenoch has called for Kneecap to be banned and suggested they should be dropped from the Glastonbury Festival line-up. A number of other politicians have made the same demand. Last year, Kneecap won a discrimination case against the UK government in Belfast High Court after former business secretary Badenoch tried to refuse them a funding award when she was a minister. In another post, the band showed a short clip of their soundcheck at the Brockwell Park festival. It comes after O hAnnaidh, who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, was charged over the alleged display of a Hezbollah flag at a gig at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town, north London, in November last year, the Metropolitan Police said on Wednesday. Kneecap are due to perform at Wide Awake on Friday (Brian Lawless/PA) The band held a surprise gig at the 100 Club on Oxford Street on Thursday, where O hAnnaidh could be seen in videos on social media arriving on stage with tape covering his mouth. He then joked about being careful what he said before adding he wanted to thank his lawyer. The rapper said: 'I need to thank my lawyer he's here tonight as well.' Police said they were at the central London venue on Thursday evening to manage visitors to the sold-out event. The band said on X that the event sold out in 90 seconds, with 2,000 people on the waiting list. In 2024, the band released an eponymous film, starring Oscar-nominated actor Michael Fassbender, 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 are known for their provocative lyrics in both Irish and English languages, and merchandise. Their best-known tracks include Get Your Brits Out, Better Way To Live, featuring Grian Chatten from Fontaines DC, and 3Cag. Read More Kneecap star arrives at surprise gig with tape over mouth after terror charge
BreakingNews.ie
09-05-2025
- Politics
- BreakingNews.ie
Belfast station signage decision to be challenged at judicial review
A judge has granted permission for a judicial review on the decision by a Stormont minister to install Irish language signage at Belfast's Grand Central Station. Mr Justice Scoffield said the challenge against Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins taken by loyalist activist Jamie Bryson had crossed the 'arguability threshold' to merit a judicial review hearing. Advertisement Under Stormont rules, ministerial decisions that are deemed significant or controversial should be considered collectively by the powersharing coalition, rather than by an individual minister. Mr Bryson contends Ms Kimmins should have brought the issue of installing Irish language signs at the new Belfast transport hub to the wider Executive for decision because it was a 'controversial' matter. At a hearing at Belfast High Court on Friday, Mr Justice Scoffield granted Mr Bryson leave for a judicial review, which will take place in September. The planned £150,000 project to install the signs has been paused until October pending the outcome of the legal challenge. Advertisement Jamie Bryson launched the legal challenge. Photo: PA. Sinn Féin minister Ms Kimmins gave the go-ahead for the signage in March, but her announcement sparked a row with other ministers. The DUP insisted she had a 'legal duty' to bring the decision to the wider Executive. As part of his legal challenge, Mr Bryson submitted to the court correspondence and statements he had secured from DUP leader Gavin Robinson, Ulster Unionist peer Lord Elliott, TUV leader Jim Allister, PUP leader Billy Hutchinson and Grand Secretary of the Orange Order Mervyn Gibson on the issue of the signs. He also referred to public comments by DUP deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly when she said it was 'bizarre' to suggest the issue was not controversial. Advertisement The activist said the evidence offered a 'powerful indication' that the matter was controversial and, as such, should have been referred to the Executive. Urging the judge to grant leave, Mr Bryson insisted his application 'pole-vaults over the threshold' to merit a judicial review. In March, TUV MLA Timothy Gaston sought support from other Assembly members for a petition to refer the decision to the Executive for a discussion. The petition required 30 MLA signatures to succeed but ultimately Mr Gaston was the only member of the house to sign it. Advertisement Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins at Grand Central Station in Belfast. Photo: PA. Arguing against leave, Tony McGleenan KC, representing the Department for Infrastructure, said the failure of the petition showed there was not a 'flicker of controversy' about the decision within the Assembly. 'It registered a nil return in terms of controversy,' he told the judge. Mr Bryson insisted the failure of the petition was not evidence of a lack of controversy. He said a successful petition would only have required Executive ministers to have a discussion on the signage issue and would not have compelled a wider Executive vote on the matter. He said the reason that DUP MLAs did not sign the petition was because the party's ministers had already secured a discussion on the matter by raising it under 'any other business' at an Executive meeting at the start of April. Advertisement In outlining his decision to grant leave, Mr Justice Scoffield cited Ms Little-Pengelly's comments and Mr Robinson's letter. Ireland 'Predator' who groomed and abused at least 14 girl... Read More He said Mr Bryson had offered enough evidence to cross the threshold for holding a judicial review. 'It does seem to be there's enough in the applicant's case to get over the threshold at this stage,' he said. The case will be reviewed again next month ahead of the full hearing, which is expected to last one day, in September.
